Genetic determinants of blood pressure traits are associated with carotid arterial thickening and plaque formation in patients with type 2 diabetes

The aim of this study is to explore the contribution of genetically driven cardiometabolic risk factors for development of carotid arterial thickening in patients with type 2 diabetes. In total, 12 genetic risk scores for blood pressure, blood lipids and glycaemic traits were constructed. The genetic risk scores were tested for association with carotid intima-media thickness and plaques in patients with type 2 diabetes (n？=？401) and in non-diabetic individuals (n？=？648) and for association with glucose levels in two population-based cohorts (n？=？1328 and n？=？6161). In patients with type 2 diabetes, the genetic risk scores for pulse pressure were positively associated with plaque formation (β？=？0.036？±？0.01 standard deviation/allele, p？=？0.003). The genetic risk score for diastolic blood pressure was negatively associated with carotid intima-media thickness (β？=？–0.037？±？0.01 standard deviation/allele, p？=？0.005), although not significant after correction for multiple testing (p？<？0.0042). In a meta-analysis of individuals with and without type 2 diabetes, the high-density lipoprotein genetic risk scores showed a trend towards an inverse association with carotid intima-media thickness and plaques, while the low-density lipoprotein genetic risk scores showed a trend towards a positive association with plaque formation but did reach the statistical threshold. Genetic loci for pulse pressure are associated with plaque formation among patients with type 2 diabetes, suggesting an underlying genetic contribution to arterial stiffening and atherosclerosis