Background: African American adults demonstrate a higher prevalence of cardiovascular complications including myocardial infarction and stroke. Whether similar racial disparities are present to suggest African Americans adolescents are at higher risk to develop cardiovascular disease is not known. Thus, we compared arterial stiffness, an early marker of cardiovascular disease, in African American and Caucasian adolescents and young adults with type 2 diabetes.
Methods: Demographic, anthropometric, laboratory data and arterial stiffness measures including pulse wave velocity (PWV) and augmentation index (AIx) were collected in a cross sectional study of 215 adolescents (average age 18 years) with type 2 diabetes (55% African American, 65% female).
Results: Compared to Caucasians, African Americans had increased PWV (6.21 ± 0.87 vs 6.96 ± 1.30, p<0.01) and AIx (4.44 ± 11.17 vs 7.64 ± 12.02, p= 0.05). Regression modeling demonstrated age, lipids, blood pressure and duration of diabetes were differently associated with arterial stiffness in each race group (p <0.05).
Conclusions: African American adolescents with type 2 diabetes have worse vascular stiffness than age matched Caucasians. This process is mediated by different cardiovascular risk factors. These results suggest race specific risk factor modification may be helpful to prevent early cardiovascular disease in this high risk population.