title: The concurrence of microalbuminuria and retinopathy with cardiovascular risk factors; reliable predictors of asymptomatic coronary artery disease in type 2 diabetes.
abstract: People with diabetes mellitus type 2 (DM2) have a greater risk for premature morbidity and mortality due to cardiovascular disease than the general population: cardiovascular disease accounts for 75% of deaths in this population group. We examined whether or not the association of clinical cardiovascular risk factors (RF) with both microalbuminuria (MA) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) constitutes reliable evidence for the existence of asymptomatic coronary artery disease (CAD), as assessed by positive myocardial thallium scintiscan using the SPECT method (Tl-scan) in patients with DM2. The study included 76 individuals with DM2 (54 men and 22 women, aged 46-70 years), with a negative history for infarction and negative clinical or ECG findings of CAD. In all patients, 3 overnight (11 pm - 7 am) urine collections were made for evaluation of MA. Fundoscopy after dilatation and a Tl-scan (reference method) were also carried out. In addition, blood pressure and waist/hip ratio were measured and smoking habits were recorded. In the 35 patients with a positive Tl-scan (46%) a higher (p<0.001) incidence of MA, DR, hypertension, smoking and higher waist/hip ratio were detected. Of the 16 patients with concurrent presence of MA and DR, 15 had a positive Tl-scan (94%), whereas the Tl-scan was negative in 30/36 (83%) patients with absence of both MA and DR. One or no cardiovascular RF in the absence of MA and DR increased the prediction of a negative Tl-scan to 100% (NPV: 1.00). Based only on history, fundoscopy and MA testing, and without resorting to expensive and laborious testing procedures, it is possible to safely distinguish patients with type 2 diabetes, who require no further investigations for asymptomatic CAD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism, Evangelismos Hospital, Athens, 106 76 Greece. gistma@otenet.gr
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ioannidis
authors.forename: Melpomeni
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Peppa
authors.forename: Phivi
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rontogianni
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Callifronas
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Papadimitriou
authors.forename: Georgia
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Chrysanthopoulou
authors.forename: Lambros
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Anthopoulos
authors.forename: Matina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kesse
authors.forename: Nicolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Thalassinos