OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) in a population of type I diabetic, nephropathic patients in a dialysis program and candidates for double transplantation (kidney and pancreas). METHODS: From January 2000 to July 2002, 58 type I diabetic patients underwent coronary cineangiography as part of an assessment protocol for double transplantation. Coronary artery disease was defined as any irregularity in the coronary arteries and was classified according to the degree of luminal stenosis as mild (< 30%), moderate (> 30 to 70%), and severe (> 70%). RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 34 ± 12 years, and 32 (55%) were men. No patient had a history of angina or acute myocardial infarction. The major risk factors for the disease were systemic arterial hypertension in 93% of the patients, dyslipidemia in 38%, familial history in 25%, and smoking in 20%. The mean duration of diabetes was 20.8 ± 9 years, and the duration of dialysis was 26 ± 9 months. Coronary angiography revealed coronary artery disease in 42 (72%) patients, which was mild in 20 (34%) patients, moderate in 9 (16%), and severe in 13 (22%). CONCLUSION: Patients with type I diabetes in a dialysis program and candidates for double transplantation had an elevated prevalence of coronary artery disease. It is worth noting that those patients had no symptoms of the disease.
atherosclerosis; type I diabetes mellitus; double transplantation