Microangiopathies are diseases affecting small blood vessels – usually capillaries – and are most common in diabetes patients and usually referred to as diabetic microvascular complications9.
Such microvascular complications can severely damage eyes (retinopathy), kidneys (nephropathy) and nerves (neuropathy):
Diabetic Retinopathy is a microvascular complication of diabetes, its prevalence increasing 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, whatever their gender.
Diabetic Nephropathy – or diabetic kidney disease – is another microvascular complication of diabetes, again its prevalence increasing with the duration of the disease. Associated with the chronic deterioration of kidney function characterized by a protein loss in the urine, it is the leading cause of end-stage kidney disease.
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.
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