Peripheral arterial disease in diabetic and nondiabetic patients: a comparison of severity and outcome.

The aim of this study was to quantify the distribution of peripheral arterial disease in the diabetic and nondiabetic population attending for angiography and to compare severity and outcome between both groups of patients. Randomly selected lower-extremity angiograms were examined according to the Bollinger system. Patient demographics and medical history were recorded and case notes were examined to determine which patients later underwent a revascularization procedure or amputation and which patients had died. A total of 136 arteriograms obtained between 1992 and 1996 were analyzed. The age (mean +/- SD) of the patients was 64.7 +/- 10.8 years. Diabetic patients (43%) and nondiabetic patients were of similar age (63.9 +/- 10.4 vs. 65.3 +/- 11.1 years, P = 0.43), with a similar history of smoking (81.0 vs. 76.9%, P = 0.26), ischemic heart disease (41.4 vs. 37.2%, P = 0.54), and hypercholesterolemia (24.4 vs. 30.8%, P = 0.48). However, there were a greater proportion of hypertensive patients in the diabetic group (63.8 vs. 39.7%, P = 0.006). Diabetic patients had greater severity of arterial disease in the profunda femoris and all arterial segments below the knee (P = 0.02). A greater number of amputations occurred in the diabetic group: diabetic patients were five times more likely to have an amputation (41.4 vs. 11.5%, odds ratio [OR] 5.4, P < 0.0001). Mortality was higher in the diabetic group (51.7 vs. 25.6%, OR 3.1, P = 0.002), and diabetic patients who died were younger at presentation than nondiabetic patients (64.7 +/- 11.4 vs. 71.1 +/- 8.7 years, P = 0.04). In patients with peripheral arterial disease, diabetic patients have worse arterial disease and a poorer outcome than nondiabetic patients.