Association of glycemic status and segmental left ventricular wall thickness in subjects without prior cardiovascular disease: a cross-sectional study

Abstract Background Left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy and changes in LV geometry are associated with increased cardiovascular mortality. Subjects with type 2 diabetes have an increased risk of such alterations in cardiac morphology. We sought to assess the association of glycemic status and LV wall thickness measured by cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), and potential interactions of hypertension and diabetes. Methods CMR was performed on 359 participants from a cross-sectional study nested in a population-based cohort (KORA FF4) free of overt cardiovascular disease. Participants were classified according to their glycemic status as either control (normal glucose metabolism), prediabetes or type 2 diabetes. Segmentation of the left ventricle was defined according to the American Heart Association (AHA) 16-segment model. Measurements of wall thickness were obtained at end-diastole and analyzed by linear regression models adjusted for traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Results LV wall thickness gradually increased from normoglycemic controls to subjects with prediabetes and subjects with diabetes (8.8 ± 1.4 vs 9.9 ± 1.4 vs 10.5 ± 1.6 mm, respectively). The association was independent of hypertension and traditional cardiovascular risk factors (β-coefficient: 0.44 mm for prediabetes and 0.70 mm for diabetes, p-values compared to controls: p = 0.007 and p = 0.004, respectively). Whereas the association of glycemic status was strongest for the mid-cavity segments, the association of hypertension was strongest for the basal segments. Conclusion Abnormal glucose metabolism, including pre-diabetes, is associated with increased LV wall thickness independent of hypertension.