Analysis of the association between glucose profiles and β‐cell function for diabetic cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy in China

AIMS/INTRODUCTION: The purpose of the present study was to investigate the severity of glucose profiles and β‐cell function associated with diabetic cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (DCAN) in a Chinese sample. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A community‐based, cross‐sectional study to analyze the risk factors of DCAN was carried out with 455 individuals recruited from a Chinese population. The glucose profile risk score was calculated to identify the association between the severity of the glucose profiles and DCAN. The associations of the severity of the glucose profiles and β‐cell function with DCAN were analyzed using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS: Univariate analysis showed that the glucose profiles and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance were significantly associated with the DCAN outcome, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression showed that significant associations exist between glucose profile indices and DCAN, after controlling for potential confounding factors (P < 0.01 for all) in both models. Multivariable logistic regression also showed that parameters of β‐cell function were associated with the DCAN outcome in the category model (P < 0.1 for all). The glucose profile risk score was independently and significantly associated with the DCAN outcome after controlling for confounding factors (P < 0.001 and P for a trend <0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our observations suggest that parameters of glucose profile indices and β‐cell function are significantly and independently associated with DCAN, respectively. There was a tendency toward increased glucose profile risk score with increasing prevalence of DCAN.