Increased functional and structural skin capillary density in type 1 diabetes patients with vascular complications

Eduardo Tibiriçá; Elba Rodrigues; Roberta Cobas; Marilia B Gomes

doi:10.1186/1758-5996-1-24

Increased functional and structural skin capillary density in type 1 diabetes patients with vascular complications

Diabetol Metab Syndr. 2009 Dec 3;1(1):24. doi: 10.1186/1758-5996-1-24.

Authors

Eduardo Tibiriçá¹, Elba Rodrigues, Roberta Cobas, Marilia B Gomes

Affiliation

¹ Department of Medicine, Diabetes Unit, State University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. [email protected]

Abstract

The present study was designed to study skin capillary density and recruitment of the upper and lower extremities in patients with type 1 diabetes with vascular complications, when compared to patients without complications and healthy subjects. We used intravital video-microscopy to measure basal and maximal (during venous congestion) skin capillary densities as well as capillary recruitment using post-occlusive reactive hyperemia (PORH) in the dorsum of the fingers and toes.Our results showed that besides microvascular vasodilation and loss of autoregulatory capacity, patients with type 1 diabetes with vascular complications present increased skin capillary density in both extremities.