Medial arterial calcification is frequently found in patients with microalbuminuria.
The presence of medial arterial calcification (MAC), often referred to as Moncheberg's sclerosis, was sought in patients with long-standing diabetes mellitus. One hundred patients aged 22-50 years were initially divided into two groups, those with neuropathy and those without. As expected, the incidence of MAC was significantly higher in the neuropathy group (40% vs. 20%). When the patients were divided into two groups, those with MAC and those without, it appeared that the incidence of MAC was very high in patients who had microalbuminuria (57% vs. 13%) and particularly when microalbuminuria was combined with neuropathy (40% vs. 7%). It is concluded that microalbuminuria is a strong predicting factor of medial arterial sclerosis independent of neuropathy.
Psyrogiannis
A
A
Diabetes Center, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Patras Medical School, Greece.
Kyriazopoulou
V
V
Vagenakis
A G
AG
D000328:Adult; D000419:Albuminuria / Q000150:complications*; D001158:Arteries / Q000473:pathology*; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D003929:Diabetic Neuropathies / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012598:Sclerosis