Nailfold Capillaroscopy Findings in Diabetic Patients (A Pilot Cross-Sectional Study)

Background: Microcirculation is affected in diabetes mellitus and Microvascular abnormalities cause persistent diabetic complications. The aim of this study was nailfold capillaroscopic assessment to describe the pathological changes (morphological and structural) in capillary of a large series of patients with type 1 and 2 diabetes. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in a Nailfold Capillaroscopy Center (Tehran-Iran) between 2011 and 2014. The study included 235 types 1, 2 diabetic patients. All patients underwent 10 nailfolds capillaroscopy examinations. Microvascular architecture, disturbances capillary distribution, capillary morphology, capillary density, efferent/afferent limb ratio, sub-papillary venular plexus, and morphological abnormalities were evaluated. Conclusions were stated as normalor scleroderma pattern. Results of patients’ capillaroscopic images were recorded and analyzed quantitatively and qualitatively. P value < 0.05 was considered as statistical significance. Results: of all participants with mean age 59.91 ± 12.39, 183 cases (77.9%) were female and 52 (22.1%) were male. Tortuosity of capillaries was more often observed in our subjects (235 cases) followed by angiogenesis (171 cases). Normal and early scleroderma patterns were observed in 195 (83.0%) and 40 cases (17.0%). Based on P values, altered micro vascular architecture, capillary distribution and capillary morphology were more frequent in patients with scleroderma pattern in comparison to patients with normal pattern (P value < 0.05). Morphological abnormalities except from neo formation capillary and mega capillary were also significantly more common in patients with scleroderma pattern than patients in counterpart group (P value < 0.05). Conclusion: Nailfold capillaroscopy as a non-invasive, diagnostic and prognostic method may potentially affect on diabetes outcome and control.