Reduced transcutaneous oxygen tension and impaired vascular response in type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetes

Abstract

Measurements of transcutaneous oxygen tension were made on the foot and arm in 16 Type 1 (insulin-dependent) diabetic patients with no evidence of vascular or neurological disease on simple clinical examination and in 30 nondiabetic subjects. The mean transcutaneous oxygen tension measured at 45°C on the foot was significantly lower in the diabetic patients than in the non-diabetic subjects. The hyperaemic response in the arm after cuff occlusion (measured by transcutaneous oxygen tension at 37°C) was also significantly lower in the diabetic patients. These results may reflect abnormal capillary blood flow in diabetic patients. As the methods are simple and non-invasive, they may prove useful in the early assessment and subsequent monitoring of peripheral vascular problems in diabetes.