Abstract
In order to clarify the etiology of macrovascular disease in diabetics, clinical analyses were carried out on 524 ontpatients with diabetes mellitus on whom the progress of the disease could be followed up for more than 5 years (average 10.3 years). Following results were obrained. (1) Ischemic ECG abnormality was noted at a higher frequency in the obese group than in the non-obese group. (2) Ischemic ECG abnormality was encountered more frequently in the obese group undergoing treatment with insulin or oral hypoglycemic agents, whereas in the non-obese group no difference existed from those undergoing diet treatment. (3) Ischemic ECG abnormality newly-developed in 40.2% of the oral agents group, 40.4% of the insulin group and 9.1% of the diet group in the obese diabetics, while no difference was observed between therapeutic agents in the non-obese diabetics. It might be suggested that a specific state of being obese, or obesity coupled with a state assisting endogenous and exogenous hyperinsulinemia may contribute to the development of atherosclerosis in diabetics.
