Diabetic microangiopathic complications in young Chinese diabetic patients: A clinic-based cross-sectional study

Microangiopathic complications are major causes of morbidity and mortality in diabetic patients. We studied 150 consecutive young Chinese diabetic sub jects attending the Prince of Wales Hospital Diabetes Center on their prese nce of diabetic microangiopathic complications and the relationships with o ther risk factors. All patients with aged younger than 40 years and had an age of onset of disease at younger than 35 years. Their known duration of d iabetes was 57.2 +/- 5.0 months. Of these 150 patients, 50 (33.3%) had micr oangiopathic complications, 34 (22.7%) had albuminuria, 11 (7.3%) had perip heral neuropathy, and 21 (14%) had retinopathy. Using multiple logistic reg ression analysis, albuminuria was independently associated with body-mass i ndex and systolic blood pressure, peripheral neuropathy was associated with fasting plasma glucose and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and retinopathy was associated with duration of disease and fasting plasma glu cose. In conclusion, there were high percentages of microangiopathic compli cations, particularly albuminuria, in our young Chinese diabetic patients. Obesity, high blood pressure, and poor glycemic control are important for t hese complications. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Inc.