Background

Appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) and grip strength (GS) have been suggested to be related to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), but their association with type 2 diabetes (T2D) remains unclear. Therefore, we examined the combined association of ASM and GS with the prevalence of CVD in patients with T2D.

Methods

A total of 1230 patients with T2D were recruited and divided into four groups based on the sex-specific median values of ASM adjusted for body mass index (ASM/BMI; short: SM) and GS: high SM/high GS (HSM/HGS), high SM/low GS (HSM/LGS), low SM/high GS (LSM/HGS), and low SM/low GS (LSM/LGS).

Results

The LSM/LGS group was older and had higher values of systolic blood pressure, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance, waist circumference, and C-reactive protein but lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations than the HSM/HGS group. After adjusting for potential confounders, the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs for CVD, coronary heart disease (CHD), ischemic stroke, and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in the LSM/LGS group were 2.90 (1.89-4.47), 2.39 (1.46-3.92), 1.77 (0.84-3.71), and 5.83 (1.58-21.48), respectively. After adjusting for variable confounders among patients with higher glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) (≥7.1%), the ORs and 95% CIs for CVD and CHD in the LSM/LGS group were 7.27 (3.37-15.67) and 6.17 (2.65-14.37), respectively.

Conclusions

The combination of low SM and GS was strongly associated with CVD, CHD, and PAD in patients with T2D, especially in those with higher HbA1c levels.