Prevalence of major vascular complications at the initial visit among Japanese diabetic patients

The frequencies of retinopathy, proteinuria, hypertension, and electrocardiographic (ECG) abnormalities in 2025 diabetic subjects new to our clinic in Tokyo were analyzed in relation to status at initial visit with respect to age, estimated duration of diabetes, and fasting blood glucose. Frequency and severity of retinopathy increased markedly with duration of diabetes. A relationship was found between retinopathy at first visit and level of blood glucose at that time. Proteinuria also clearly increased with duration; its frequency was generally higher in older age groups. Frequency of hypertension increased with age up to 60 yr, but there was no association between prevalence of hypertension and duration of diabetes. ECG abnormalities also increased with age, although serious abnormalities were rare even in older subjects. Hypertension and ECG abnormalities were not more common in those with higher initial blood glucose values, and the frequencies of these aberrations did not increase with the duration of diabetes. ECG abnormalities were more common among hypertensives, especially in younger age groups. Despite the clear effect of degree and duration of hyperglycemia on microvascular complications, there was no evidence of a direct effect of hyperglycemia on macrovascular abnormalities in this study.