Diabetes Mellitus and Peripheral Vascular Disease

Chronic complications or the long-term side effects of diabetes mellitus includes microvascular complications which affects smaller blood vessels such as retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy and macrovascular complications which affects larger blood vessels supplying the heart, brain, and extremities. Prevalence of Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD) in diabetes ranges between 20% and 30%. Endothelial cell dysfunction, vascular smooth muscle cell dysfunction, inflammation, impaired platelet function and abnormal coagulation are the other key factors in progression of PVD in diabetes. Ankle Brachial Index can be used as a screening tool at regular intervals. Apart from the intensified multifactorial treatment of all modifiable risk factors, intensive therapy targeted at glycemic control and other modifiable cardiovascular risk factor is needed to prevent micro and macro vascular complications of diabetes, especially PVD.