SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 43 patients who presented with typical chest pain and who underwent coronary angiography were enrolled in this study. They were classified into diabetic patients with CAD (n=13), non-diabetic patients with CAD (n=13), diabetic patients without CAD (n=7), and non-diabetic patients without CAD (n=10), according to the presence of CAD and diabetes mellitus. Endothelium-dependent vasodilation of the brachial artery was measured in all the subjects by performing 7.5 MHz high-resolution ultrasound sonography.

RESULTS: The endothelium-dependent vasodilation in the diabetic patients with CAD was 1.30±2.13% and it was 5.72±3.70% in the non-diabetic patients with CAD. There was a significant difference between the two groups (p=0.001). The endothelium-dependent vasodilation in diabetic patients without CAD was 2.28±1.88% and it was 10.70±10.19% in the non-diabetic patients without CAD. There was a significant difference between the two groups (p=0.029). The endothelium-dependent vasodilations in the diabetic group was 2.28±1.88% and it was 10.70±10.19% in the non-diabetic group for all the patients. There was a significant difference between the two groups (p=0.029). There was correlation between the endothelium-dependent vasodilation and the fasting blood sugar. There was negative correlation between the endothelium-dependent vasodilation and the fasting blood sugar (FBS) in the patients with CAD (r=-0.59, p=0.002). However, there was no correlation between the endothelium-dependent vasodilation and the FBS in the patients without CAD (r=-0.327, p=0.201). There was negative correlation between the endothelium-dependent vasodilation and the FBS in all subjects (r=-0.352, p=0.021).

CONCLUSION: The endothelium-dependent vasodilation was decreased in the diabetic patients with CAD as compared to the non-diabetic patients with CAD. There was also was negative correlation between the endothelium-dependent vasodilation and the FBS in the patients with CAD.