[Macroangiopathy in type II diabetes. The Raval South study].

OBJECTIVE

To study the prevalence of clinical forms of diabetic macroangiopathy (DM) and its risk factors.

DESIGN

A descriptive crossover study.

SETTING

An elderly and socio-economically very depressed population in Raval Sud Health District (HD), Barcelona.

PATIENTS AND OTHER PARTICIPANTS

Random sampling of type II diabetes patients (n = 387) registered in the HD (6.6% prevalence).

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Each patient was examined for the presence of diagnostic criteria of peripheric, cerebral or coronary vasculopathy (VP); as well as for the possible risk factors (age, gender, years of the DM's evolution, tobacco, hypertension, obesity, glycosilated haemoglobin and dyslipemia). Prevalences obtained were: peripheric VP = 24.5%, cerebral VP = 9.5%, coronary VP = 18.1%. 30.5% of the diabetics had some form of macroangiopathy. The main risk factors for all the clinical forms (p < 0.001) were age and the length of evolution of DM, tobacco mainly for peripheric VP (p < 0.001), systolic Hypertension for cerebral VP (p = 0.03) and Hypertriglyceridaemia for peripheric VP (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Macroangiopathy affects a high percentage (30.5%) of type 2 diabetics. The principal risk factors are those associated with tobacco, hypertension and hypertriglyceridaemia, all of which we can affect and control.