Increased Subclinical Coronary Artery Pathology in Type 2 Diabetes With Albuminuria.

Diabetes affects the kidneys, and the presence of albuminuria reflects widespread vascular damage and is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Still, the pathophysiological association between albuminuria and CVD remains incompletely understood. Recent advances in noninvasive imaging enable functional assessment of coronary artery pathology and present an opportunity to explore the association between albuminuria and CVD. In this cross-sectional study, we evaluated the presence of subclinical coronary artery pathology in people with type 2 diabetes, free of overt CVD. Using multimodal imaging, we assessed the coronary microcalcification activity (¹⁸F-sodium fluoride positron emission tomography/computed tomography [PET/CT], plaque inflammation [⁶⁴Cu-DOTATATE PET/CT], and myocardial flow reserve [⁸²Rb PET/CT]). The study population consisted of 90 participants, stratified by albuminuria; 60 had historic or current albuminuria (urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio [UACR] ≥30 mg/g]), and 30 had normoalbuminuria (UACR <30 mg/g). We demonstrated that any albuminuria (historic or current) was associated with a more severe phenotype, in particular, higher levels of microcalcifications and impaired myocardial microvascular function; however, coronary inflammation activity was similar in people with and without albuminuria. Our findings establish a potential underlying mechanism connecting cardiovascular and kidney diseases and could indicate the initial stages of the cardiorenal syndrome. Article Highlights: We undertook this study to explore the pathophysiological association between albuminuria and CVD. We wanted to answer the specific question of whether albuminuria is related to a more severe phenotype of subclinical coronary pathology. We found that albuminuria was associated with higher levels of coronary microcalcification activity and impaired myocardial microvascular function. The implications of our findings are that this establishes a potential underlying mechanism connecting cardiovascular and kidney diseases and could indicate the initial stages of the cardiorenal syndrome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]