Arteriosclerosis obliterans in Japanese diabetic patients.

Arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO) of the lower extremities was found in 32 cases (1.9%) among 1673 Japanese diabetic patients. Comparison with age-and sex-matched control patients revealed that male sex, older age, hypertension and neglect of treatment of diabetes were positively correlated with ASO, but obesity, smoking and hyperlipidemia were not correlated with ASO. Proteinuria, cerebral vascular disease and myocardial infarction were significantly associated with ASO. The arterial pulses of the foot were examined in 451 diabetic patients. The pulse of A. dorsalis pedis was absent in 29 (6.4%) and was significantly related to the clinical signs and symptoms of ASO. The loss of the pulse of A. dorsalis pedis increased with age and was more frequent in men than in women. The results indicate a lower frequency of ASO in Japanese than in Western diabetic patients.