Relationship between cardiac autonomic neuropathy and diabetic microangiopathies and macroangiopathy in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

The relationship between cardiac autonomic neuropathy and diabetic microangiopathies and macroangiopathy was investigated in 103 patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Cardiac autonomic nerve function was assessed by determining the uptake of [123I]metaiodobenzyl-guanidine into the myocardium. Cardioparasympathetic nerve function was assessed by comparing electrocardiographically the expiratory and inspiratory respiratory rate (RR) interval ratios, during a period of deep breathing, and the coefficients of variation of the RR intervals. Nerve conduction velocity measurements were used to assess diabetic somatic neuropathy, and measurement of pulse-wave velocity provided an indication of the extent of aortic sclerosis. The only correlations between the parameters of cardiac autonomic neuropathy and parameters of diabetic microangiopathies and macroangiopathy were between the expiratory to inspiratory RR interval ratio and both the conduction velocity of the tibial nerve and pulse-wave velocity, and between the heart to lung ratio (cardiac autonomic nerve function) and nephropathy. These correlations may have occurred by chance; alternatively they may indicate a difference in the onset mechanisms of cardiac parasympathetic and sympathetic neuropathies in diabetics.