PREVALENCE OF CARDIAC AUTONOMIC NEUROPATHY IN UREMIC AND DIABETIC-PATIENTS

In the absence of relevant data, the prevalence of cardiac autonomic neuropathy was investigated in patients with diabetes mellitus or uremia due to other causes and diabetic patients with endstage renal failure. 117 patients (40 on a dialysis program without diabetes, 32 with diabetes mellitus type 1 but no nephropathy, 16 type 1 and 13 type 2 diabetic uremic patients, 16 diabetic patients with a kidney graft) and 25 healthy control subjects underwent assessment of the cardiorespiratory reflexes. The evaluation of parasympathetic damage was of particular interest. Definite parasympathetic dysfunction was detected in 32% of the non-diabetic uremic and in 19% of the non-uremic type 1 diabetic patients. Furthermore, 88% of type 1 and 77% of type 2 diabetic patients on dialysis and 75% of diabetic patients after kidney transplantation had evidence of autonomic neuropathy.