Effect of buflomedil on early carotid atherosclerosis in type 2 diabetic patients

Background. An increased thickness of the carotid artery wall is thought to be a sign of early atherosclerosis. We have investigated the effect of ear ly treatment with buflomedil on the prevention of the arterial wall thicken ing. Methods. Eighty patients with Type 2 diabetes were studied. Oral buflomedil (600 mg once daily) was administered for 12 months in 42 patients randomly selected, while 38 received no treatment. The two groups were matched for age, sex, body mass index (BMI), duration of diabetes and glycaemic control . Arterial wall thickness was measured as the mean of the maximum intima me dia thickness (IMT) in 8 carotid segments measured by B-mode ultrasound. Results. Blood pressure and lipid levels remained unchanged in the two stud ied groups while no difference was found in metabolic control between them. The IMT increase over 12 months was 0.04 mm in the buflomedil group wherea s in that without buflomedil it was 0. 10 mm. Conclusions. We conclude that buflomedil treatment may be useful in decreas ing the progression rate of arterial wall thickness.