Arterial Stiffness, Carotid Intima-Media Thickness, Endocan, and A Disintegrin and Metalloproteinase With Thrombospondin Type I Motif 9 Levels and Their Relationship With Disease Activity in Patients With Acromegaly With and Without Cardiovascular Risk Factors.

Objective: Cardiovascular complications such as cardiomyopathy and endothelial dysfunction, which are frequently seen in patients with acromegaly, are among the most important causes of morbidity and mortality. In this study, we aimed to investigate arterial stiffness, carotid intima-media thickness, endocan level, and A disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin type I motif 9 level and their relationship with disease activity in patients with acromegaly with and without cardiovascular risk factors.
Methods: A total of 60 patients with acromegaly-25 with active disease, 26 with well-controlled disease, and 9 with newly diagnosed disease-and 60 age-, sex-, and body mass index (BMI)-matched healthy control subjects were enrolled in this study. All the subjects' height, weight, BMI, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), fasting plasma glucose (FPG) level, insulin, hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C), C-reactive protein , lipid, endocan, A disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin type I motif 9 levels, pulse wave velocity (PWV), and carotid intima-media thickness were measured.
Results: The SBP, DBP, FPG level, HbA1C level, and PWV of the acromegaly group were higher than those of the control group. In patients with acromegaly with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, the PWV was higher than that in the control group, and in patients with acromegaly without CVD risk factors, the PWV was similar to that in the control group. In a correlation analysis, a positive correlation was found between PWV and age, BMI, SBP, DBP, FPG level, and HbA1C level in the acromegaly group.
Conclusion: In our study, we found that arterial stiffness increased in patients with acromegaly with CVD risk factors and that increased arterial stiffness was associated with hemodynamic (SBP and DBP) and metabolic (BMI, FPG level, and HbA1C level) parameters.
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