[Modifications of structural and functional properties of large arteries in diabetes mellitus]

Functional and structural modifications in large arteries play an important role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular diseases. The diabetes mellitus besides arterial hypertension and ageing can induce these alterations in different arterial sites, and so leading to the development of atherosclerosis and its cardiovascular consequences. The main functional change of large arteries is an increase of stiffness, while the main structural modification is an increase of the intima-media thickness of carotid artery, and both changes have been recognized in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. The mechanisms of these structural and functional arterial modifications in diabetes include insulin resistance, collagen increase due to inadequate enzymatic glycation, endothelial and autonomic dysfunction. The increase of arterial stiffness is an independent cardiovascular risk marker in diabetic patients, and the treatment of diabetes per se and even of associated dyslipidemia and arterial hypertension can favorably modify these arterial changes.