[Clinical and functional study on the evolution of diabetic macroangiopathy]

Area of Science:

• Vascular Medicine
• Diabetology
• Cardiology

Background:

• Diabetic macroangiopathy is a significant complication of diabetes mellitus.
• Vaso-active medications are used to manage vascular complications in diabetic patients.
• The progression and therapeutic effects on diabetic macroangiopathy require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the progression of diabetic macroangiopathy in patients with and without vaso-active medication.
• To compare the incidence of lower limb and coronary lesions in diabetic patients.
• To assess the efficacy of vaso-active drugs in managing diabetic macroangiopathy.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal follow-up of 47 diabetic patients and 26 healthy controls over 8 years.
• Utilized clinical assessments and non-invasive methods including ECG, Doppler, rheography, thermography, and functional tests.
• Grouped diabetic patients into those without vaso-active medication (25) and those on medication (22).

Main Results:

• A statistically significant decrease (P < 0.001) was observed in 83.9% of diabetic patients without vaso-active medication, versus 47.6% with medication and 11.5% in controls.
• Lower limb lesions occurred significantly more frequently (P < 0.05) and progressed faster than coronary lesions.
• These findings suggest a potential for therapeutic intervention in diabetic macroangiopathy.

Conclusions:

• Diabetic patients not receiving vaso-active medication experience a higher rate of macroangiopathy progression.
• Lower limb complications are more prevalent and severe than coronary complications in diabetic macroangiopathy.
• The therapeutic effect of vaso-active drugs on diabetic macroangiopathy may be underestimated, challenging existing pessimism.