J. Hu et al., DYNAMIC PROPERTIES OF THE AORTA AND OF THE FOOT MICROCIRCULATION IN ADOLESCENTS WITH DIABETES-MELLITUS, Acta paediatrica, 86(6), 1997, pp. 620-625
To evaluate vascular function in diabetic subjects, we studied both th
e stiffness of the abdominal aorta and the fool microvascular reactivi
ty in 22 diabetic adolescents and 18 controls. The aortic stiffness wa
s significantly higher in diabetic females, but not in males, as compa
red to age- and gender-matched controls (p < 0.05), Foot post-ischaemi
c hyperaemia was lower in diabetic subjects: than in controls (p < 0.0
5), while postural vasoconstriction did not differ between the groups.
The microvascular reactivity did not correlate with the duration of d
iabetes, but seemed to be influenced by the insulin regimen. The degre
e of aortic stiffness and the microvascular reactivity of the foot wer
e not significantly interrelated. Loss of aortic elasticity might be a
long-term effect of diabetes, whereas microvascular reactivity seems
to reflect the current influence of the metabolic state and insulin tr
eatment.