Table 1 displays the general and sociodemographic characteristics of the participants in the study. The analysis ultimately encompassed 4,296 individuals with diabetes. Out of these, 2,821 (65.6%) were identified as Non-DKD, whereas 1,475 (34.4%) were diagnosed with DKD. Compared to the Non-DKD group, individuals with DKD showed significantly higher levels across multiple parameters, including age, male population, diabetes duration, SBP, HbA1c, total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), UACR, and ePWV. While high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and eGFR were notably lower in the DKD group compared to their Non-DKD counterparts.
Table 1
General and sociodemographic characteristics of the participants by DKD
Characteristics | Non-DKD | DKD | Total | P value |
N | 2821 | 1475 | 4296 | |
Age, years | 59.0 [65.0–51.0] | 61.0 [69.0–53.0] | 59.0 [66.0–52.0] | < 0.001 |
Men, % | 1525 (54.1%) | 873 (59.2%) | 2398 (55.8%) | 0.001 |
Duration of diabetes, years | 14.0 [19.0–8.00] | 15.0 [21.0–9.00] | 14.0 [20.0–8.00] | < 0.001 |
SBP, mmHg | 136 [145−126] | 139 [148−128] | 137 [147−126] | < 0.001 |
DBP, mmHg | 80.0 [87.0–73.0] | 80.0 [88.0–73.0] | 80.0 [87.0–73.0] | 0.644 |
HbA1c, % | 8.40 [9.80–7.30] | 8.80 [10.2–7.50] | 8.60 [10.0−7.30] | < 0.001 |
TC, mmol/L | 4.62 [5.43–3.87] | 4.73 [5.71–3.90] | 4.65 [5.50–3.88] | 0.002 |
TG, mmol/L | 1.45 [2.06–1.05] | 1.77 [2.56–1.22] | 1.54 [2.23–1.11] | < 0.001 |
HDL, mmol/L | 1.12 [1.31–0.960] | 1.09 [1.28–0.940] | 1.11 [1.30–0.950] | < 0.001 |
LDL, mmol/L | 2.93 [3.54–2.37] | 3.01 [3.69–2.38] | 2.96 [3.60–2.37] | 0.011 |
UACR, mg/g | 8.63 [13.7–5.60] | 102 [378−42.6] | 13.1 [45.9–6.82] | < 0.001 |
eGFR, mL/min per 1.73 m2 | 104 [114−93.9] | 88.4 [107−58.3] | 101 [112−85.5] | < 0.001 |
ePWV, m/s | 10.6 [11.8–9.35] | 11.0 [12.5–9.68] | 10.7 [12.0−9.48] | < 0.001 |
DKD Diabetic kidney disease, SBP Systolic blood pressure, DBP Diastolic blood pressure, TC Total cholesterol, TG Triglycerides, HDL High-density lipoprotein, LDL Low-density lipoprotein, UACR Urine albumin to creatinine ratio, eGFR Estimated glomerular infiltration rate, ePWV Estimated pulse-wave velocity
Table 2 delineates the characteristics of participants, organized by quartiles of ePWV. Participants within the highest ePWV quartile, relative to those in the lowest quartile, were generally older, had a higher prevalence of being female and DKD, and showed increased levels of diabetes duration, SBP, DBP, HDL, and UACR. Moreover, in the highest ePWV quartile compared to the lowest, lower levels of HbA1c, TC, TG, LDL, and eGFR were observed.
Table 2
General and sociodemographic characteristics of the participants by ePWV quartiles
Characteristics | Quartile 0(≤ 9.48) | Quartile1(> 9.48, ≤ 10.69) | Quartile2(> 10.69,≤12.03) | Quartile 3(> 12.03) | P for trend |
N | 1075(25%) | 1069(24.8%) | 1079(25.1%) | 1073(24.9%) | |
Age, years | 45.0 [51.0–38.0] | 56.0 [60.0–53.0] | 63.0 [66.0–59.0] | 71.0 [76.0–67.0] | < 0.001 |
Men, % | 753(70.0%) | 634(59.3%) | 559(51.8%) | 452(42.1%) | < 0.001 |
Duration of diabetes, years | 11.0 [17.0–6.00] | 14.0 [19.0–8.00] | 15.0 [21.0–9.00] | 16.0 [22.0–10.0] | < 0.001 |
SBP, mmHg | 126 [136 − 119] | 133 [141 − 125] | 140 [148 − 131] | 147 [159 − 138] | < 0.001 |
DBP, mmHg | 79.0 [85.0–72.0] | 80.0 [86.0–73.0] | 81.0 [87.0–74.0] | 82.0 [89.0–75.0] | < 0.001 |
HbA1c, % | 8.90 [10.4–7.50] | 8.60 [9.90–7.30] | 8.40 [9.90–7.30] | 8.40 [9.80–7.20] | < 0.001 |
TC, mmol/L | 4.90 [5.72–4.16] | 4.72 [5.54–3.99] | 4.57 [5.41–3.80] | 4.37 [5.31–3.69] | < 0.001 |
TG, mmol/L | 1.81 [2.74–1.20] | 1.53 [2.23–1.14] | 1.47 [2.05–1.06] | 1.44 [1.96–1.05] | < 0.001 |
HDL, mmol/L | 1.06 [1.24–0.930] | 1.12 [1.31–0.960] | 1.12 [1.30–0.960] | 1.14 [1.34–0.970] | < 0.001 |
LDL, mmol/L | 3.17 [3.73–2.64] | 3.01 [3.61–2.43] | 2.91 [3.53–2.30] | 2.76 [3.45–2.18] | < 0.001 |
UACR, mg/g | 10.5 [29.8–6.13] | 11.6 [38.2–6.36] | 13.0 [46.7–6.86] | 18.7 [68.8–8.66] | < 0.001 |
eGFR, mL/min per 1.73 m2 | 115 [126 − 103] | 105 [113 − 94.0] | 98.3 [106 − 85.7] | 88.6 [97.8–71.7] | < 0.001 |
DKD, % | 316(29.4%) | 324(30.3%) | 360(33.8%) | 470(43.8%) | < 0.001 |
DKD Diabetic kidney disease, SBP Systolic blood pressure, DBP Diastolic blood pressure, TC Total cholesterol, TG Triglycerides, HDL High-density lipoprotein, LDL Low-density lipoprotein, UACR Urine albumin to creatinine ratio, eGFR Estimated glomerular infiltration rate, ePWV Estimated pulse-wave velocity
We devised two models to evaluate the independent impact of ePWV on the prevalence of DKD, UACR ≥ 30 mg/g, and eGFR < 60 mL/min per 1.73 m². As illustrated in Table 3, a higher ePWV was linked to a greater prevalence of DKD, UACR ≥ 30 mg/g, and eGFR < 60 mL/min per 1.73 m², even when adjusting for a range of confounding factors, including sex, duration of diabetes, HbA1c, TC, TG, HDL, and LDL. When comparing individuals in the highest ePWV quartile to those in the first quartile, the prevalence of DKD, UACR ≥ 30 mg/g, and eGFR < 60 mL/min per 1.73 m² was significantly higher by 133%, 125%, and 134% respectively after adjusting for these confounding factors. Each unit increase in ePWV was associated with a 23%, 21% and 25% increase in the prevalence of DKD, UACR ≥ 30 mg/g, and eGFR < 60 mL/min per 1.73 m² in T2DM participants, respectively, after adjusting for the same confounding factors.
| ePWV, m/s | P for trend | Total | P value |
Quartile 0 | Quartile1 | Quartile2 | Quartile 3 |
The prevalence of DKD |
Model 0 OR(95% CIs) | Ref. | 1.04 (0.87–1.26) | 1.23 (1.02–1.47) | 1.87 (1.57–2.24) | < 0.001 | 1.17(1.13, 1.21) | < 0.001 |
Model 1 OR(95% CIs) | Ref. | 1.19 (0.98–1.45) | 1.47 (1.21–1.78) | 2.33 (1.92–2.84) | < 0.001 | 1.23(1.19, 1.28) | < 0.001 |
The prevalence of UACR ≥ 30 mg/g |
Model 0 OR(95% CIs) | Ref. | 1.16 (0.96–1.41) | 1.37 (1.13–1.65) | 1.82 (1.51–2.19) | < 0.001 | 1.15(1.12, 1.19) | < 0.001 |
Model 1 OR(95% CIs) | Ref. | 1.34 (1.09–1.64) | 1.64 (1.34-2.00) | 2.25 (1.84–2.76) | < 0.001 | 1.21(1.16, 1.26) | < 0.001 |
The prevalence of eGFR < 60 mL/min per 1.73 m² |
Model 0 OR(95% CIs) | Ref. | 0.92 (0.67–1.26) | 0.90 (0.65–1.23) | 2.09 (1.58–2.75) | < 0.001 | 1.22(1.16, 1.28) | < 0.001 |
Model 1 OR(95% CIs) | Ref. | 0.96 (0.70–1.34) | 0.98 (0.70–1.37) | 2.34 (1.73–3.16) | < 0.001 | 1.25(1.18, 1.32) | < 0.001 |
DKD Diabetic kidney disease, UACR Urine albumin to creatinine ratio, eGFR Estimated glomerular infiltration rate, ePWV Estimated pulse-wave velocity
Model 0 The model was not adjusted
Model 1 The model was adjusted for sex, duration of diabetes, HbA1c, TC, TG, HDL, and LDL
RCS curves were utilized to evaluate the dose-response relationship between ePWV and the prevalence of DKD, UACR ≥ 30 mg/g, and eGFR < 60 mL/min per 1.73 m². As illustrated in Fig. 1, a J-shaped relationship was observed between ePWV and the prevalence of DKD and eGFR < 60 mL/min per 1.73 m², even after adjusting for sex, duration of diabetes, HbA1c, TC, TG, HDL, and LDL. Additionally, the analysis revealed a linear association between ePWV and the prevalence of UACR ≥ 30 mg/g, after controlling for the same confounding factors.
Model 0 The model was not adjusted
Model 1 The model was adjusted for sex, duration of diabetes, HbA1c, TC, TG, HDL, and LDL
As illustrated in Fig. 2, we stratified the analyses by age (< 60 or ≥ 60 years), sex (male or female), duration of diabetes (< 10 or ≥ 10 years), and presence of hypertension (yes or no) to examine whether these potential confounders influenced the associations between ePWV and the prevalence of DKD, and to evaluate any interactions. The results of these stratified analyses demonstrated that the associations between ePWV and the prevalence of DKD were generally consistent across all sub-populations. However, significant interactions were observed between ePWV and age for DKD in participants and statistically significant associations were only observed in participants older than 60 years.