Atherosclerosis in diabetes mellitus (repeated epidemiologic studies of atherosclerosis with an interval of 25 years)

: Repeated epidemiological studies of atherosclerosis were performed in 1985-1989 (as compared to 1965-1968) in 20-59-year-old males of malme, praha, Tallinn, Yalta and in 40-59-year-old females in Malme, Riga and Yalta. 358 cases of diabetes mellitus (DM) were studied. DM occurred more frequently during the second interval as compared to the first one: 6.3 and 4.6% in males, and 7.6 and 4.2% in females, respectively. The severity of atherosclerosis (aorta and coronary arteries were studied morphometrically after staining with Sudan IV) was higher in patients with DM the influence of which was similar to that of the arterial hypertension. The severity of atherosclerosis in DM depended, to a certain degree, on atherosclerosis level in the population. There was a trend to a decrease of atherosclerosis severity within the second interval in Malme and Praha, and its increase in Riga, Tallinn and Yalta. There was no significant difference in atherosclerosis severity that would depend on DM severity and regularity of its treatment.