RESUMEN
Objective To evaluate the association between plasma levels of visfatin and adiponectin with carotid arterial intima-media thickness in patients with type 2 diabetes.Methods A total of 100 elderly patients with type 2 diabetes and 30 healthy elderly controls were recruited from August 2015 to August 2016 at our hospital.Based on carotid arterial intima-media thickness(IMT) assessed via color Doppler ultrasonography,patients with diabetes were further divided into a thickened IMT group (40 cases)and a non-thickened IMT group (60 cases).Plasma levels of visfatin and adiponectin were analyzed and compared,and their associations with carotid arterial IMT were evaluated.Results Compared with the control group,patients in both the thickened IMT group and the non-thickened IMT group had significantly higher serum levels of visfatin(19.1 ± 2.8)μg/L vs.(40.6±3.9)μg/L,(28.9±3.6)μg/L,which was markedly higher in the thickened IMT group than in the non-thickened IMT group(P＜0.05).In addition,compared with the control group,patients in the thickened IMT group and the non-thickened IMT group had significantly lower serum levels of adiponectin(1 590±330)mg/L,(610±170)mg/L,(930±210)mg/L,which was markedly lower in the thickened IMT group than in the non-thickened IMT group (P ＜ 0.05).Furthermore,Pearson's analysis showed that the plasma level of visfatin was positively correlated with carotid arterial IMT(r =0.721,P＜0.05),and the plasma level of adiponectin was negatively correlated with carotid arterial IMT(r=-0.688,P＜0.05).Conclusions Plasma levels of visfatin and adiponectin are closely related to carotid arterial IMT in patients with type 2 diabetes,andmay be used as plasma markers for the prediction of early atherosclerosis.