CARDIOVASCULAR STATUS OF DIABETIC PATIENTS AFTER THE FOURTH DECADE OF LIFE

Abstract

An analysis of the cardiovascular status of the diabetic patient involves chiefly a study of the interrelationship of arteriosclerosis and diabetes. One hundred and twenty cases in patients above the age of 39 have been observed with this in view. The data presented here deal with the incidence of the important cardiovascular variants, and with their relation to age and sex and to the severity and duration of diabetes. To these are added some observations on the clinical types of arteriosclerosis in diabetic patients and on the significance of retinitis and abnormalities of the electrocardiogram. The primary data are tabulated in table 1 and summarized in table 2. The relation to sex is shown in table 3 and to age in table 4. CARDIOVASCULAR VARIANTS Cardiac Enlargement. —The heart in nondiabetic arteriosclerotic patients is as often small as large. In the autopsy material analyzed by Cabot,¹ 64 per cent