Diabetic microangiopathic complications in young Chinese diabetic patients: a clinic-based cross-sectional study.

Microangiopathic complications are major causes of morbidity and mortality in diabetic patients. We studied 150 consecutive young Chinese diabetic subjects attending the Prince of Wales Hospital Diabetes Center on their presence of diabetic microangiopathic complications and the relationships with other risk factors. All patients with aged younger than 40 years and had an age of onset of disease at younger than 35 years. Their known duration of diabetes was 57.2 +/- 5.0 months. Of these 150 patients, 50 (33.3%) had microangiopathic complications, 34 (22.7%) had albuminuria, 11 (7. 3%) had peripheral neuropathy, and 21 (14%) had retinopathy. Using multiple logistic regression analysis, albuminuria was independently associated with body-mass index and systolic blood pressure, peripheral neuropathy was associated with fasting plasma glucose and lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and retinopathy was associated with duration of disease and fasting plasma glucose. In conclusion, there were high percentages of microangiopathic complications, particularly albuminuria, in our young Chinese diabetic patients. Obesity, high blood pressure, and poor glycemic control are important for these complications.