Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate the incidence of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) in a population of type 2 diabetic patients (NIDDM) and its possible correlation with diabetic nephropathy (DN), diabetic retinopathy (DR) and also with some biochemical parameters of glomerular and tubular renal function.
Methods: The study included a total of 150 NIDDM patients, randomly selected, who have been followed-up at the Metabolic Center of our Division. All patients underwent assessment of the ankle/brachial pressure index (ABI) and Doppler ultrasound of the lower extremities. They were then divided into 2 groups: Group 0 without PAD and Group 1 with PAD. They also underwent a echo color-Doppler study of the renal interlobar arteries in order to evaluate the resistive index (RI), while the retinal vessels were assessed by biomicroscopy and fluorangiography.
Results: The incidence of PAD in this study was 30.6%, occurring on average 14 years from the onset of diabetes, and affecting particularly patients with nephropathy. The presence of both albuminuria and retinopathy in the same patient increases by 8.9 times the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Conclusions: The RI, measured at the level of the intrarenal arteries, is of great interest as a marker not only of renal vascular damage in NIDDM patients, but also of a generalized vascular involvement.