Yang XY, Zhao JH, Wang SS, Zou CY. Risk factors for carotid plaque in type 2 diabetes mellitus: The need for more extensive data. World J Diabetes 2026; 17(6): 115861 [DOI: 10.4239/wjd.115861]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Cun-Yi Zou, MD, Department of Neurosurgery, The First Hospital of China Medical University, No. 155 Nanjing Street, Shenyang 110001, Liaoning Province, China. cnzoucunyi@126.com
Research Domain of This Article
Clinical Neurology
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review-article
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Yang XY, Zhao JH, Wang SS, Zou CY. Risk factors for carotid plaque in type 2 diabetes mellitus: The need for more extensive data. World J Diabetes 2026; 17(6): 115861 [DOI: 10.4239/wjd.115861]
World J Diabetes. Jun 15, 2026; 17(6): 115861 Published online Jun 15, 2026. doi: 10.4239/wjd.115861
Risk factors for carotid plaque in type 2 diabetes mellitus: The need for more extensive data
Xing-Yun Yang, Jia-Hui Zhao, Shi-Song Wang, Cun-Yi Zou
Xing-Yun Yang, Jia-Hui Zhao, Shi-Song Wang, Cun-Yi Zou, Department of Neurosurgery, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang 110001, Liaoning Province, China
Co-first authors: Xing-Yun Yang and Jia-Hui Zhao.
Author contributions: Yang XY and Zhao JH played important and indispensable roles in manuscript preparation as co-first authors; Yang XY, Zhao JH and Wang SS wrote the original draft; Zou CY contributed to manuscript conceptualization, writing, reviewing, and editing; all authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Supported by Natural Science Foundation of Liaoning Province, No. 2023-MSLH-401.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Cun-Yi Zou, MD, Department of Neurosurgery, The First Hospital of China Medical University, No. 155 Nanjing Street, Shenyang 110001, Liaoning Province, China. cnzoucunyi@126.com
Received: October 30, 2025 Revised: November 21, 2025 Accepted: December 18, 2025 Published online: June 15, 2026 Processing time: 224 Days and 8.1 Hours
Abstract
The risk factors for carotid plaque in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients are still not well-established. A recent study offers a scientific basis for integrated cerebrovascular risk assessment and early intervention in T2DM patients. However, as a single-center study involving a relatively homogenous Chinese population, the generalizability of its conclusions to other ethnic groups remains limited. Due to the lack of data on diabetes duration, medication history, and lifestyle information, the causal relationship between risk factors and plaque development cannot be determined. Future research should focus on improving research design and conducting comprehensive data collection to elucidate the vascular risk of T2DM patients. Equally important is the application of machine learning approaches to these data, which may help uncover novel biomarkers and assess the generalizability of findings beyond the original study population.
Core Tip: The precise risk factors for carotid plaque in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus have not been clearly defined. A recent study has highlighted age, body mass index, fasting plasma glucose, glycated hemoglobin, serum creatinine, urinary albumin‑to‑creatinine ratio, and serum uric acid as key contributors to carotid atherosclerosis in this population. However, the study carries certain methodological limitations. To improve the robustness of these findings, future prospective multicenter research should incorporate diabetes duration and a full medical history. Additional use of machine learning techniques could further elucidate causal pathways and improve cerebrovascular risk stratification in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
