Abstract:
The medical and social significance of diabetes mellitus is determined by the progressive increase in the frequency of the disease, as well as the development of vascular complications that invalidate and reduce the quality of life in patients of working age. It is now recognized that the vascular endothelium is a multifunctional organ. Endothelial cells are metabolically active and possess paracrine, endocrine and autocrine functions necessary to maintain vascular homeostasis under physiological conditions. Endothelial functions include regulation of vascular integrity and permeability, angiogenesis, hemostasis. Such complications include microangiopathies, including nephro-, retino- and neuropathies, as well as macroangiopathies, including coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular diseases, for the development of which diabetes mellitus is a proven risk factor. The mechanism of development of angiopathies in diabetes mellitus is multifactorial, but most researchers agree that hyperglycemia, triggering a complex of pathological reactions, including non-enzymatic glycosylation, oxidative stress and inflammation, is a key link in their occurrence and development.
