Abstract:
Introduction. About 422 million people have diabetes mellitus, and more than 95% have type II diabetes.
It is a major cause of heart attacks, strokes, blindness, kidney failure and lower limb amputation. A lot of
these diseases are the result of pathological changes in the structure of blood vessels. These vascular
complications are called angiopathies. They are a major clinical problem and lead to a higher mortality rate
in the general population.
Aim of study. To research on normal blood vessels structure and pathological changes in type II diabetes.
Method and Materials. The scientific articles from PubMed, Medscape, BMC databases were analyzed.
Results. The diabetes mellitus is associated with macrovascular (involving large arteries) diseases like
stroke, myocardial infarction, and microvascular (involving small arteries and capillaries) diseases, such as
retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy. In diabetic microangiopathy pathognomonic alterations include
thickening of capillary basement membrane, increase of endothelial permeability, and dysfunction of
endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cell. The most important pathologic processes in macrovascular
disease are atherosclerosis and vascular stiffness. A lot of functional changes and inflammation in smooth
muscle and endothelial cells of the vascular wall are responsible for proliferation, hypertrophy, remodeling
and apoptosis.
Conclusion. Normal structure and function of blood vessels in type II diabetes are essential for the proper
functioning of the body. The damage of blood vessels can lead to disabling diseases and premature death.
