Isolated and combined effects of type 2 diabetes mellitus and peripheral arterial disease on muscle architecture, muscle quality, and functional capacity in older women.

BACKGROUND

The objective of the study was to evaluate the isolated and combined effects of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) and Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD) on muscle architecture, muscle quality, functional capacity.

METHODS

Participated 24 older females, divided into 3 groups: T2DM + PAD Group (n = 8), T2DM Group (n = 8), and Healthy Participants Group - HPG (n = 8), all matched by age. The participants underwent body composition assessment by plethysmography, muscle architecture assessment of the vastus lateralis (VL) and tibialis anterior (TA), and muscle quality assessment of the rectus femoris (RF) and medial gastrocnemius (MG) by means of ultrasound images, and three functional tests to assess functional capacity. ANOVA was used to compare means between groups, adopting α = 0.05, and linear regression analysis was carried out between performance in the functional tests and independent variables that had significant correlations.

RESULTS

The results indicated that the fascicle length of the VLR in T2DM + PAD (p = 0.04) and T2DM (p = 0.01) were lower than those observed in HPG. Significant differences (p < 0.01) were also found between HPG and T2DM for the echo intensity of the GM. No significant differences were observed between groups for functional tests.

CONCLUSIONS

The isolated presence of T2DM or associated with PAD compromises muscle architecture and quality parameters without affecting the functional capacity of older women.