Table 1.
Macro/microvascular diabetic vasculopathy complications with clinical manifestations and major risk factors.
| Complication | Type of Complication | Clinical Manifestations | Major Risk Factor | Diagnostic Tools Used |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cardiac Complications (ASCVD) | Macrovascular | Angina, shortness of breath, tachycardia, STEMI, NSTEMI | Type 2 DM/Atherosclerotic buildup, Hypertension (W. Fan et al., 2019) | Traditional: lipid screening Nontraditional: C-reactive proteins, lipoprotein particles, apolipoproteins. (Curry et al., 2018) |
| Peripheral Artery Disease | Macrovascular | Cramping, numbness, discoloration of distal limbs, weak pulse in affected limb, ischemic resting pain | Atherosclerotic buildup, Tobacco usage (Powell et al., 1997) | Ankel-Brachial Index or Digital Subtraction Angiography (C. Marques et al., 2018) |
| Cerebrovascular events, Carotid Artery Disease | Macrovascular | Dizziness, dysarthria, numbness, headaches, stroke | Atherosclerotic buildup | Bruit testing, ultrasound, CT angiogram, MRI, Carotid Doppler or cerebral angiogram. (Ringer, 2018) |
| Nephropathy | Microvascular | Macroalbuminuria, Microalbuminuria, Oliguria, Anuria | Type 2 DM/Atherosclerosis, hypertension, drug-induced (Fowler, 2008) | Albumin evaluation, glomerular filtration rate, random spot albumin/creatinine ratio, renal biopsy, four-hour urine collection. (Roett et al., 2012) |
| Liver Disease (Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease) | Microvascular | Jaundice, ascitis, gynecomastia | Type 2 DM/Atherosclerosis/Hypertension/Obesity (MH et al., 2018) | Liver enzyme screening and liver imaging. (Wilkins et al., 2013) |
| Retinopathy | Microvascular | Red/Gray/White dots on retina. | Type 2 DM/Atherosclerosis (Preferred Practice Patterns Committee 2014) | Fluorescein Angiography or Optical Coherence Tomography to examine macula (Boyd, 2018) |
| Peripheral Neuropathy | Microvascular | Symetric Polyneuropathy: Buring, tingling, numbness, pain, sensory loss to touch, vibration, and temperature. Mononeuropathy: severe muscle pain and atrophy. Autonomic Neuropathy: digestive/urination issues and tachycardia. Most prominent at night. | Type 2 DM/Atherosclerosis, genetic predisposition (Fowler, 2008) | Skin exam, circulation analysis, Loss of Protective Sensation (LOPS) test, pinprick test, ankle reflex, pressure/vibration perception, Nerve Conduction Velocity and Electromyography tests. (Harrar, 2017) (Jardon-Reyez et al., 2018) |