Capillary Permeability and Blood Flow in Skeletal Muscle of Patients with Diabetes Mellitus and Genetic Prediabetes

Abstract

Abstract Disturbances in microvascular function were studied by measurement of capillary diffusion capacity (CDC), capillary filtration coefficients (CFC) and resting and hyperemic skeletal muscle blood flows in normal persons and patients with prediabetes and diabetes with and without microangiopathy. Blood flow, CDC and CFC were determined by calf venous-occlusion plethysmography and 133Xe and 131l clearances from hyperemic anterior tibial muscle. Diabetic patients with microangiopathy had significantly larger CDC's and 131l clearances than the normal controls (p less than 0.01) and diabetic patients without microangiopathy (p less than 0.05). Normal persons had hyperemic muscle flows (133Xe) significantly greater than those in the other groups (p less than 0.05). Resting flows and CFC's did not differ significantly among the groups. Three of 11 prediabetic subjects had very abnormal CDC's. The finding of normal CFC and abnormal CDC in diabetic patients with microvascular disease suggests that small ves...