Diabetes Mellitus may be One of the Atherosclerotic Endpoints ofthe Pancreas

Abstract

Background: Systemic atherosclerosis may be the major cause of aging and shortened survival in human being.

Methods: All cases with sickle cell diseases (SCD) were included.

Results: We studied 222 males and 212 females with similar ages of 30.8 vs 30.3 years, p>0.05, respectively. Smoking (23.8% vs 6.1%, p<0.001), alcohol (4.9% vs 0.4%, p<0.001), transfused red blood cells (RBC) in their lives (48.1 vs 28.5 units, p=0.000), disseminated teeth losses (5.4% vs 1.4%, p<0.001), ileus (7.2% vs 1.4%, p<0.001), stroke (12.1% vs 7.5%, p<0.05), chronic renal disease (CRD) (9.9% vs 6.1%, p<0.05), cirrhosis (8.1% vs 1.8%, p<0.001), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (25.2% vs 7.0%, p<0.001), coronary heart disease (18.0% vs 13.2%, p<0.05), leg ulcers (19.8% vs 7.0%, p<0.001), and clubbing (14.8% vs 6.6%, p<0.001) were all higher in males.

Conclusion: As an accelerated atherosclerotic process, hardened RBC-induced capillary endothelial damage initiated at birth terminates with multiorgan failures in early decades in the SCD. Diabetes mellitus (DM) may be one of the atherosclerotic endpoints of the pancreas. Excess fat tissue may be much more dangerous than smoking and alcohol for the atherosclerotic endpoints since excess fat tissue-induced DM is the most common cause of CRD. Similarly, 20% of elderly have DM, but just 55% of patients with DM are obese. Loss of excess fat tissue in early phases before the development of fibrotic changes on the vascular walls may even be curative in the DM. Acarbose and metformin are safe, cheap, oral, and effective drugs for loss of excess fat tissue.