VASCULAR COMPLICATIONS IN RELATION TO ETHNICITY IN NON-INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES-MELLITUS

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of ethnicity o n the development of diabetic retinopathy and nephropathy as markers f or microvascular complications and of angina pectoris as a marker for macrovascular complications. We evaluated data from 1124 patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) of Caucasian, Mongolo id, Asian, Armenian, Northern African and Negroid origin who were refe rred between January 1993 and December 1994. Logistic regression analy ses showed that the occurrence of microvascular complications was sign ificantly associated with duration of NIDDM. In addition, retinopathy was significantly associated with glycated haemoglobin A(1c) (HbA(1c)) and nephropathy with triglycerides (P < 0.05 and P much less than 0.0 01 respectively). Northern African origin was associated with retinopa thy (P < 0.05) and Asian origin with nephropathy (P < 0.005). Macrovas cular complication was associated with age and triglyceride level (P < 0.001 and P < 0.05 respectively). Northern African and Negroid ethnic ity exclusively did not show a gradual increase in the risk for angina pectoris with increasing age. Moreover, a negative association betwee n Northern African as well as Negroid ethnicity and macrovascular comp lication was observed (P = 0.05 and P < 0.05 respectively). In support of these observations, we found a favourable lipid profile in both me ntioned groups. In summary, we have shown that, in patients with NIDDM , ethnicity is associated with macrovascular complications and duratio n of the disease with microvascular complications.