ABSTRACT
Diabetes mellitus [DM] is a major public health problem in Yemen. The aim of this descriptive study is to determine the prevalence and risk factors of macrovascular complications among diabetic patients attending the medical ward at Al-Gamhouria Teaching Hospital during the period January 2005 to June 2006. Patients completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire, carried out by treating physicians, and underwent a complete medical assessment including measurement of height, weight, blood pressure and examination for evidence of macrovascular complications. A standard echocardiography was recorded and blood samples were taken to document fasting blood sugar, glycosylated hemoglobin [HbAic] and lipid profile. 198 of diabetic patients were studied, 108 [54.4%] of them were males and 90 [45.4%] were females, with a mean age of 57.63 years [SD +/- 12.86]. 65.6% of DM patients had evidence of macrovascular complications, 39.9% of patients had cardiovascular disease, 26.3% had cerebrovascular disease and 5.5% had peripheral vascular disease. About 57.7% of the study patients had hypertension. The study findings revealed that macrovascular complications in diabetic patients were more common among males, increased with age, with hypertension, and its prevalence increased steadily with duration of diabetes mellitus. Our data demonstrated that there is a significant association between hypertension and the presence of macrovascular complications among diabetic patients. However, a lack of correlation between macrovascular disease and glycemic control among diabetic patients was observed