Cilostazol Can Increase Skin Oxygen Supply Assessed by Transcutaneous Oxygen Pressure Measurement in Type 2 Diabetes With Lower Limb Ischemic Disease

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of cilostazol versus acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) for amelioration of lower limb ischemia in type 2 diabetes. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized positive-controlled open clinical trial. SUBJECTS AND SETTING: Eighty-nine patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and symptoms of lower limb ischemia (perceptions of coldness of the lower limbs, numbness, intermittent claudication, or pain at rest) present for 6 months or more that had not significantly changed within the past 3 months participated in the study. All subjects had an initial transcutaneous oxygen pressure (TcpO2) of less than 40 mm Hg in the foot when measured in the supine position. Subjects included 46 males and 43 females; their ages ranged from 35 to 80 years. METHODS: Participants were randomly allocated to 2 groups, one was treated with cilostazol 100 mg taken twice daily (n = 48), and a second group took 100 mg of ASA daily (n = 41) for 8 weeks. Clinical assessment included measurement of transcutaneous oxygenation, and symptoms associated with lower limb ischemia. Blood analyses included a full blood panel, coagulation screen, renal function tests, hepatic function tests, and lipid profiles. All tests were performed at baseline and repeated at 8 weeks. RESULTS: Age, duration of diabetes, diabetic complications, lower limb ischemic symptoms, TcpO2, and smoking status did not differ between the 2 groups. In contrast, TcpO2 significantly improved from 37.1 ± 11.9 mm Hg to 42.0 ± 9.7 mm Hg in the cilostazol-treated group (P < .05), whereas no significant change was observed in the ASA-treated group (P > .05). Ischemic symptoms such as intermittent claudication (P = .009), perception of limb coldness (P = .008), and pain at rest (P = .017) showed greater improvement in the cilostazol-treated group when compared to subjects treated with ASA. Approximately 10% of patients treated with cilostazol experienced adverse side effects (palpitations, headache, diarrhea). Cilostazol was not found to have significant detrimental effects in hematologic or biochemical indices, including renal, hepatic, and blood coagulant function tests. CONCLUSIONS: We found that 8 weeks of treatment with cilostazol 100 mg daily was safe and well tolerated for the treatment of type 2 diabetes with lower limb ischemic disease.