1983 Volume 26 Issue 8 Pages 823-831
The prevalence of peripheral vascular disease (PVD) was determined in 296 diabetic outpatients of Osaka City University Hospital, using a Doppler ultrasonic technique.PVD was diagnosed in 34 (11.5%) of the diabetic patients, and the male: female ratio was 2: 1.Classification into symptomatic stages was made as follows: 3 patients complained of intermittent claudication (2 males, one female); one patient had ischemic skin lesions with rest pain; and 88% of the PVD was diagnosed without any symptoms.There was a clear increase of PVD with age. The percentage of PVD in patients of the 8th decade rose sharply, and the difference between the prevalence of PVD in patients under the age of 70 and that in those aged over 70 was marked and highly statistically significant. The percentages of cases with hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia and obesity in the past were significantly higher in patients with PVD compared with those in patients without PVD.No significant differences, however, were found in the prevalence of patients with hypercholesterolemia, a low value for the HDL-cholesterol/total cholesterol ratio and smoking habits.Between patients with and without PVD, no definite differences were observed in the degree of glycemic control or mode of treatment of the diabetes.The percentages of cases with retinopathy of rather advanced stage and with persistent proteinuria were higher in the group with PVD. The frequencies of histories of cerebrovascular accident in the past and calcification of the leg arteries were higher in patients with PVD, while the frequency of ischemic ECG changes was the same in the groups with and without PVD.These findings suggest that the prevalence of PVD in Japanese diabetics is lower by one third and progression of PVD is more gradual compared to similar studies in Western countries.
