Pulse pressure: a surrogate measure of arterial stiffness in a diabetic Cuban American (CA) population

The study examined the difference in pulse pressure (PP) among CA with (N=183) and without (N=184) type 2 diabetes (T2D). Subjects were randomly recruited from Miami‐Dade and Broward Counties, FL. An average of two blood pressure readings was used for the calculation of PP, as the difference between the systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP); (SBP ‐ DBP). Analyses used SPSS and included descriptive statistics, ANCOVA, correlations, multiple linear and logistic regressions. Results revealed T2D subjects had higher PP (52.35) than non diabetics (49.35), p=.033. This association was still significant; F (1,331) = 4.77, p= .030; after controlling for all co‐variates: age, waist circumference, BMI, saturated fatty acid, calcium, HDL cholesterol, C‐ reactive protein, potassium, sodium, diabetes status, gender, smoking and hypertension medications. A predictive model was developed which controlled for covariates. The association was still significant (p=.025); with diabetes status, age and hypertension medication being the strongest predictors for PP. The model explained 18.8% variability in PP between diabetics and non diabetics (R square = 0.188). Diabetics had twice the odds for higher PP than non diabetics; (OR=2.040, p=.012). We conclude that CA with T2D have a higher PP than non‐diabetics and this may explain the higher risk of heart disease among diabetics.