[Diabetic microangiopathy (based on the morphological study data from skin biopsies)].

Histological and immunofluorescent examinations of thigh or shin skin biopsies were carried out in 53 patients aged from 40 to 85 years suffering from diabetes mellitus of various degrees of severity for periods varying from 1 to 32 years. Forty-seven patients were found to have diabetic microangiopathy the intensity of which directly depended upon the duration and to a lesser degree upon the severity of the disease. No significant influence of the age of the patients on the extent of the vascular involvement of the dermal microcirculatory bed was observed. Immunohistochemical methods demonstrated fixation in the vessel of IgG, complement, albumin, beta-lipoproteins and human fibrinogen in diabetic microangiopathy. The frequent findings of IgG in complex with complement in the affected vessels suggest the role of immune mechanisms along with metabolic ones in the development of diabetic microangiopathy.