Relationship of insulin resistance with microvascular and macrovascular complications, death rate and other factors in patients with type 2 diabetes: A case-control study

Abstract: There is a lack of studies analyzing Severe Insulin Resistance (SIR) forms, especially from clinical aspects. The main objective of this research was to assess the relationship between micro- and macrovascular complications and the death rate of patients with SIR. Methods: It was a partially prospective case-control study of 120 participants with T2DM. Patients with doses of insulin >1 IU/kg/day were considered to have SIR (case group), with an insulin requirement of <1 IU/kg/day - control group. Statistical analyses were performed. Results: Regarding microvascular complications, an association was found between insulin doses and the rate of Diabetic Nephropathy (DN) in the case group compared with the control group (138 vs. 170 IU/day), p = 0.002. Men with T2DM and SIR were more likely to present with myocardial infarction than women (39.3% vs. 13.3%); p = 0.036. Subjects of the case group with lower eGDR (2.44 vs. 1.35) (or higher insulin resistance) were more likely to suffer a stroke, p = 0.003. Case group males were more likely than females to undergo coronary artery bypass graft surgery (21.4% vs. 3.3%); p = 0.048. Higher mortality was observed in the case group of patients with lower eGDR (1.01 vs. 1.85); p = 0.031. Conclusion: As for microvascular outcomes, the rate of DP and DR was similar in both control and case groups. Only the rate of DN in the case group was associated with higher insulin doses. Macrovascular complications such as stroke, myocardial infarction, and bypass surgery were related to the male gender and SIR, as well as higher mortality according to eGDR.