title: Chronic complications in patients with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The sly start of type 2 diabetes (DM2) very often complicates the patient before diagnosis. An early diagnosis of diabetes is strongly stressed nowadays so as to avoid or retard the progression of chronic complications. But the same emphasis is not put on the urgency of the diagnosis of these complications, at the same time as diabetes is diagnosed. If we consider that around 50% of type 2 diabetics are not aware of their condition, the problem of chronic complications of varied severity in them needs special consideration.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The present study was designed in order to evaluate the presence of chronic complications and their evolutive stage in our population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three hundred and two newly diagnosed diabetic patients (NDD) underwent full clinical examination and laboratory evaluation within 30 days of diagnosis. Diagnostic procedures and tests were standardized for each complication.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean age of the sample was 53±10 years (range, 24-77), with no difference between sexes. Complications were present in 156 patients (51.7%); 70 (44.9%) had one complication and 86 (55.1%) had 2 or more. Hypertension (HTA) was present in 192 (63.6%) NDD, 38.6% had coronary heart disease (by Minnesota Code). Among lipid alterations, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was the most frequent (34.6%). Microvascular complications were prevalent both in women and men, in decreasing order: neuropathy (27.5%), nephropathy (20.2%), retinopathy (17.9%). Taking into account the severity of complications, retinopathy showed preponderance in evolutive stage. The silent myocardial infraction seems to be a more frequent pathology than expected (17.7%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It must be stressed the need for identification of chronic complications immediately after the diagnosis of DM2.
authors.affiliation: Comité de Epidemiología. Sociedad Argentina de Diabetes. Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires. Argentina.
authors.forename: Martha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sereday
authors.forename: Mónica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Damiano
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lapertosa