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Among a group of 286 patients with atherosclerotic arterial disease 35.3% had normal carbohydrate tolerance, 28% asymptomatic (biochemical or latent), and 36.7% overt diabetes mellitus. There was a tendency towards peripheral artery involvement and a greater incidence of coronary heart disease (myocardial infarction, changes in ST-T segment) among patients with asymptomatic or overt diabetes, figures being comparable for men and women. Most of the patients with atherosclerotic arterial disease without diabetes mellitus were in stage II, while in diabetics there was a shift towards stages I and IV. There was no significant correlation between incidence, symptoms, and location of atherosclerotic arterial disease, on the one hand, and duration of overt diabetes, on the other.

125I-nuclide-absorption measurement demonstrated a statistically significant decrease in mineral content of the calcaneus in 44 patients with arteriographically proven arterial occlusive disease of the lower limbs. The loss of mineral content was dependent on the clinical degree of the vascular disorder (stages according to Fontaine's classification) and the site of the arterial occlusion. There was no demonstrable relationship between the degree of demineralisation and the duration of the vascular disorder. If treatment proved successful there was a significant rise in the mineral content of the calcaneus.