Reduced transcutaneous oxygen tension and impaired vascular response in Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes

Measurements of transcutaneous oxygen tension were made on the foot and arm in 16 Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetic patients with no evidence of vascular or neurological disease on simple clinical examination and in 30 non-diabetic subjects. The mean transcutaneous oxygen tension measured at 45 degrees C on the foot was significantly lower in the diabetic patients than in the non-diabetic subjects. The hyperaemia response in the arm after cuff occlusion (measured by transcutaneous oxygen tension at 37 degrees C) was also significantly lower in the diabetic patients. These results may reflect abnormal capillary blood flow in diabetic patients. As the methods are simple and non-invasive, they may prove useful in the early assessment and subsequent monitoring of peripheral vascular problems in diabetes.