The Comparison of Different Risk Factors which Result in Endothelial Damage Leading to Diabetic Microangiopathy

ABSTRACT
In this study, the effect of different risk factors (hyperglycemia, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, hyperuricemia) on endothelial damage was evaluated in 61 (two of them were type I, the other patients were type II) diabetic patients. von Willebrand Factor antigen (vWf Ag) was used as the marker of the endothelial damage. According to the risk factors patients were separated into five subgroups which were non-regulated diabetic patients (Group I, n:12), hyperlipidemic patients (Group II, n:9), hypertensive patients (Group III, n:15), hypertensive + non-regulated diabetic patients (Group IV, n:17) and hyperuricemic patients (Group V, n:8). Basal vWf Ag levels of non-regulated diabetic patients (Group I) were lower than those of the nonregulated + hypertensive diabetic patients (Group IV). While there was no significant decrease (p>0.05) in vWf level after the regulation of non-regulated diabetes, a significant decrease was determined in non-regulated and hypertensive diabetic patients after the improvement of the risk factors (p<0.05). Interestingly, besides the other risk factors, hyperuricemia also had a significant effect on endothelial damage. As a result, non-regulated diabetes alone has less effect than non-regulated diabetes plus other risk factors (particularly hypertension) on diabetic angiopathy.