Reduced Venous Compliance and Increased Transcapillary Escape of Protein in Insulin‐dependent Diabetic Patients

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Abstract
Lower limb venous compliance and transcapillary escape rate of transferrin were measured in eight normotensive, insulin‐dependent male diabetic patients and eight control subjects using a dual isotope technique. Technetium‐99m labelled autologous erythrocytes were used to measure venous compliance and to correct for local changes in blood volume, whilst lndium‐113m labelled transferrin was used to measure trans‐capillary escape of protein. The diabetic patients were found to have reduced venous compliance 1.5 (0.7 to 3.4) × 10−2 mmHg−1 compared with controls 3.2 (2.4 to 4.1) × 10−2 mmHg−1 (p−3, compared with control subjects −5.2 (‐4.1 to −8.1) × 10−3 (p<0.02) in response to increasing hydrostatic pressure. These results show reduced venous compliance in patients with a mean duration of diabetes of 15 years and with only at most, early complications of diabetes, and confirm previous observations showing increased transcapillary escape of protein.