Impairment of the postural venoarteriolar response in young type 1 diabetic patients - A study by laser Doppler flowmetry

The skin blood flow and venoarteriolar response (VAR) in the feet of young type 1 diabetic patients were studied with laser Doppler flowmetry. The findings were correlated with diabetic microangiopathy in 24 young patients without neuropathy-14 with diabetic microangiopathy, 10 without-and 10 healthy controls. In type 1 diabetic patients the skin blood flow, after lowering of the leg, was significantly higher in the microangiopathic patients than in the healthy controls, 5.3 ±1.4 vs 3 ±1.5, (P < 0.01). The VAR index was significantly lower in both groups of diabetics as compared with controls. In conclusion laser Doppler flowmetry is an easy and reliable noninvasive technique to evaluate skin blood flow abnormalities in the feet of young type 1 diabetic patients, including those without neuropathy. The VAR has been found abnormal in the feet of young diabetic patients with and without microangiopathy, regardless of the presence of peripheral neuropathy.