IMPAIRMENT OF THE POSTURAL VENOARTERIOLAR RESPONSE IN YOUNG TYPE-1 DIABETIC-PATIENTS - A STUDY BY LASER-DOPPLER FLOWMETRY

The skin blood flow and venoarteriolar response (VAR) in the feet of y oung type 1 diabetic patients were studied with laser Doppler flowmetr y. The findings were correlated with diabetic microangiopathy in 24 yo ung patients without neuropathy-14 with diabetic microangiopathy, 10 w ithout-and 10 healthy controls. In type 1 diabetic patients the skin b lood flow, after lowering of the leg, was significantly higher in the microangiopathic patients than in the healthy controls, 5.3 +/- 1.4 vs 3 +/- 1.5, (P < 0.01). The VAR index was significantly lower in both groups of diabetics as compared with controls. In conclusion laser Dop pler flowmetry is an easy and reliable noninvasive technique to evalua te skin blood flow abnormalities in the feet of young type 1 diabetic patients, including those without neuropathy. The VAR has been found a bnormal in the feet of young diabetic patients with and without microa ngiopathy, regardless of the presence of peripheral neuropathy.