Abstract
BackgroundStudies suggest that cardio-vascular risk factors could foster the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D). This could partly be mediated by pancreatic atherosclerosis resulting in pancreatic ischemia. We hypothesized that patients with T2D present with more severe atherosclerosis of pancreas-bound arteries than control patients without T2D.MethodsWe performed a retrospective study comparing the abdominal computed tomography of patients with T2D and of control subjects matched for gender and for age. We performed a multivariate logistic regression with adjustment for age, gender, BMI and the presence or absence of hypertension.ResultsForty-eight patients with T2D and 48 control subjects were included. A calcification score of the splenic artery was defined (from 0: no calcification to 3: continuous linear calcifications). Seventeen percent of the patients with T2D presented with a high calcification score (i.e. 2 or 3), versus only 2% of the control subjects (p = 0.04). The mean number of pancreas-bound branches among the greater pancreatic artery, dorsal pancreatic artery and inferior pancreatic artery (from 0 to 3) was lower in patients with T2D than in control subjects (1.1 vs 1.7, p = 0.003). The mean number of visible intrapancreatic arterial subdivisions (from 0 to 2) was lower in patients with T2D than in control subjects (0.7 vs 1.3, p = 0.0017). All these differences hold true using multivariate logistic regression. None of these differences correlated with the duration of diabetes. The relationship between pancreas volume and BMI seen in control subjects was not confirmed in patients with T2D. Conversely, in patients with T2D but not in control subjects, the splenic artery diameter correlated with the pancreas volume.ConclusionsPatients with T2D present with more calcifications of the splenic artery and with a less dense pancreatic arterial tree than control subjects.
Highlights
Studies suggest that cardio-vascular risk factors could foster the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D)
In the patients with type 2 diabetes, the splenic artery diameter correlated with the pancreas volume (Spearman coefficient of correlation: 0.45, p = 0.0013)
We hypothesize that pancreatic atherosclerosis could have a specific impact on the pancreas of patients with type 2 diabetes
Summary
Studies suggest that cardio-vascular risk factors could foster the development of type 2 diabetes (T2D) This could partly be mediated by pancreatic atherosclerosis resulting in pancreatic ischemia. In the NAVIGATOR study that included patients with impaired glucose tolerance and cardiovascular disease or risk factors, treatment with an angiotensin II receptor antagonist for 5 years decreased the incidence of diabetes [9] These correlations could partly be mediated by pancreatic atherosclerosis through pancreatic ischemia. In vitro, insulin secretion decreases with hypoxia [10] and beta cells show signs of dedifferentiation in hypoxic conditions [11] It has been known for more than a century that atherosclerosis and other vascular anomalies are more often seen in the intrapancreatic vessels of patients with diabetes than in control subjects [12, 13]. In a postmortem angiography study, it was shown that vascular anomalies are more often seen in patients with type 2 diabetes than in control subjects, independently from the duration of diabetes [15]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
