Endothelium and inelastic arteries: an early marker of vascular dysfunction in non-insulin dependent diabetes: Fig 1

Abstract

Atheroma is the main cause of mortality and morbidity in patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. Endothelial dysfunction underlies atheroma formation. Flow mediated vasodilatation is a measure of endothelial function as well as a determinant of arterial distensibility,1 measurements of which have not previously been reported in patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes. We studied 12 symptom free, non-smoking, healthy patients (six men) with well controlled non-insulin dependent diabetes diabnosed 1-7 (mean 3.8) years previously (mean age 50 (SD 9) years, body mass index 26.9 (4.8) kg/m2, serum cholesterol concentration 5.8 (0.5) mmol/l). Patients with known causes of endothelial dysfunction were excluded. All patients had insulin resistance with basal hyperinsulinaemia,2 no biochemical evidence of renal impairment, and no microalbuminuria. A group of 12 normal non-smoking subjects was matched for sex, age, body mass index, blood …