Microangiopathies are diseases affecting small blood vessels — usually capillaries — and are most common in diabetes patients, usually referred to as diabetic microvascular complications.1
Such microvascular complications can severely damage the eyes (retinopathy), kidneys (nephropathy), and nerves (neuropathy):
Diabetic Retinopathy is a microvascular complication of diabetes, and its prevalence increases with the duration of the disease. It is associated with diabetic macular oedema, considered the principal cause of vision loss in working-age diabetic patients, regardless of gender. 1
Diabetic Nephropathy — or diabetic kidney disease — is another microvascular complication of diabetes, and again its prevalence increases with the duration of the disease. Associated with the chronic deterioration of kidney function characterized by protein loss in the urine, it is the leading cause of end-stage kidney disease. 2’3
Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy — the most common microvascular complication of diabetes — is also more frequent in long-term diabetic patients. Associated with limb and foot disorders, it is the main cause of disability due to foot ulceration and amputation, gait disturbance, and fall-related injury.4
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