Are complex coronary lesions more frequent in patients with diabetes mellitus?
GROUND: Coronary atherosclerotic burden is excessive in diabetic patients. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is an independent predictor for both death and myocardial infarction. It is not known whether the prevalence of complex coronary lesions, such as bifurcation and ostial lesions, is different in diabetics from nondiabetics. OBJECTIVE: The aim of present study was to investigate the prevalence of these lesions in patients with DM. METHODS: One thousand fourteen consecutive patients (mean age 61.3+/-10.7 years) were investigated. Coronary angiograms were examined for bifurcation and ostial lesions using a digital quantitative system. Patients were classified as diabetic (n=281) or nondiabetic (n=733). RESULTS: Patient mean age, and rates of hypertension and hyperlipidemia were significantly higher in the diabetic group than in the nondiabetic group (P<0.0001), although smoking was significantly lower (P=0.001). Reasons for coronary angiography and treatment were comparable between the two gro
