Z. Stoyneva
Clinic of Occupational Diseases, University Hospital St. Ivan Rilsky, Medical University – Sofia, Bulgaria

Objective: to investigate skin vasomotor reflex responses in type 2 diabetic patients using laser Doppler flowmeter (LDF).

Material and Methods: Skin blood flow was measured at the first tiptoe of each foot of 89 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and of 44 healthy controls during: local heating to 440C; venoarteriolar test by measuring sympathetic axon-reflex microcirculatory responses to foot lowering; reactive hyperemia test using laser Doppler flowmeter Periflux4001.

I. Velcheva 1, P. Damianov 1, K. Stambolieva 2
1 University Hospital of Neurology and Psychiatry, Medical University – Sofia,
2 Institute of Neurobiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences – Sofia, Bulgaria

Objective: To study the changes of the cerebral vascular reactivity after different stimuli in patients with diabetes mellitus type 2.

Material and Methods: Twenty patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 (age range 45-67years) and 10 presumed healthy age and sex matched controls were included in the study. Simultaneous transcranial Doppler, blood pressure and heart rate monitoring was performed at rest and after cold stress, deep breathing and head-up tilt. The systolic (SBP), diastolic (DBP) and mean blood pressure (MBP) were measured and the blood flow velocity (BFV) parameters of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) were recorded. Comparison of the effects of the different stimuli on the blood pressure and BFV was performed.

E. Azevedo 1, S. Penas 2, C. Ferreira 1, L. Martins 2, A. Campilho 3, J. Polónia 4
1 Department of Neurology,
2 Department of Ophthalmology, São João Hospital Center and Faculty of Medicine of University of Porto,
3 Institute of Biomedical Engineering, University of Porto,
4 Arterial Hypertension Clinic of Hospital Pedro Hispano and Faculty of Medicine of University of Porto – Porto, Portugal

Objective: Diabetes mellitus (DM) leads to accelerated progression of arteriosclerosis in comparison to non-diabetic patients (non-DM). Retinopathy is a major microvascular complication of DM remaining a leading cause of blindness. Aortic stiffness and an increase in carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) are macrovascular complications that are associated with increased cardiovascular morbidity-mortality. It has been suggested that in DM blood pressure levels are more determinant than glycemic control of macrovascular lesions whereas retinopathy is more dependent on glycemic control.