[Clinical features of coronary heart disease with concomitant diabetes mellitus at high latitudes].

Joint effect of diabetes mellitus (DM) and extreme natural conditions of the Far North on the clinical course of coronary heart disease (CHD) remains poorly known. Specific features of DM2 concomitant with CHD were studied in 243 of the 8573 subjects living in Far North areas of the Tyumen region and examined by coronarography (mean age 53.4 +/- 0.4 years). The control group comprised 139 patients (56.9 +/- 0.58 years) with CHD and DM2 living in the south of Tyumen region. Clinical and ECG observations were supplemented by measurement of total cholesterol and selective coronarography. Patients of the study group were younger (p < 0.001), more frequently consumed tobacco (p < 0.001) and alcohol (p = 0.001) and had obesity (p = 0.008). Most patients in both groups had a history of myocardial infarction, suffered functional class II or higher angina and circulatory insufficiency (according to NYHA), high cholesterolemia, and arterial hypertension further deteriorating effects of CHD and DM2. However, the two groups were not significantly different in terms of these characteristics. It is concluded that combination of CDH and DM2 has unfavourable effect in patients living in the Far North although severity of clinical and functional manifestations of CDH in DM2 patients is not significantly different between residents of northern and southern areas of Tyumen region.