Angiographic study of coronary artery disease in diabetic patients in comparison with nondiabetic patients

Diabetes mellitus is known to be a major risk factor for the development of coronary artery disease (CAD). The aim of this study was to investigate an giographically the coronary arteries of diabetic persons, focusing on the t ype and distribution of CAD, sex differences in CAD anatomy, and the size o f the coronary vessels. This was a randomized study and included two groups of patients with angiographically demonstrated CAD. Group A included 463 d iabetics, aged 60.3 years, and Group B 210 nondiabetic patients, aged 58.5 years. The two groups were matched by age, sex, weight, and classic risk fa ctors. The authors evaluated the regional location of CAD, left ventricular (LV) function, and the width of the lumen of coronary arteries. The diabet ics had three-vessel disease more frequently (p < 0.001) and one-vessel dis ease less frequently (p < 0.001). The CAD was more extensive in Group A (me an 2.2 vessels, compared to 1.8 vessels in Group B, p < 0.01). The right co ronary artery was affected more often in diabetics (p < 0.01), as was the a nterior descending artery in three-vessel disease (p < 0.05). The male diab etics had the same angiographic CAD severity as the females, although the l atter had a better LV ejection fraction (p < 0.05). The female diabetics < 55 years old had CAD findings comparable with those from women 4 years olde r in Group B. Diabetics show more diffuse and severe CAD than the general p opulation. There are no sex-related differences in the severity of CAD.