Significance of metabolic and blood pressure factors in relation to microangiopathy and macroangiopathy in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

We are actively seeking methods to prevent and to limit the progression of angiopathy in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). In the present study, we conducted a clinical and epidemiological survey to clarify the clinical factors responsible for the development and progression of diabetic microangiopathy (MI) and macroangiopathy (MA). A total of 107 patients (58 female and 49 male) were randomly selected from 145 NIDDM patients. Twenty-four patient variables were selected for analysis. We identified PWV, UAI, RETINOP, MCV-T, SCV-S, MCV-P, SBP, and DBP as responsible factors and carried out stepwise multiple regression analyses. The following explanatory variables were found to be significant: age > SCV-S (P < 0.0001) for the criterion variable PWV, BUN > HbA1c > MCV-P > HT-drug > HDL-C (P < 0.0001) for log(e) UAI, DM-thera > SBP (P < 0.0001) for RETINOP, MCV-P (P < 0.0001) for MCV-T, IRI > SBP > MCV-P > S-CR (P < 0.0002) for SCV-S, MCV-T > SCV-S > DM-thera (P < 0.0001) for MCV-P, DBP > HT-drug > BUN > MCV-P (P < 0.0001) for SBP, and SBP > PWV > sex (P < 0.0001) for DBP. In summary, responsible factors for MI and MA in NIDDM had metabolic and blood pressure factors in common. Moreover, MI was a responsible factor for MA, which becomes a responsible factor for MI because it is a responsible factor for blood pressure factors. Thus, all the responsible factors for MA represented by MI and PWV had metabolic and blood pressure factors in common. The results of this study suggest that metabolic and blood pressure factors must be controlled to prevent and to limit the progression of diabetic MI and MA in NIDDM patients.