Data derived from analysis of arterial waveforms, that marks the presence of impaired pulsatile function in the arterial system, has been shown to predict future cardiovascular risk. As consistent abnormalities in the arterial pulse wave shape have been recognized for many years in diabetic subjects there has been a growing interest in quantifying changes in the pulse contour to provide information about the status of the vasculature in diabetes. These original observations have been confirmed in more recent studies in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus and are detected prior to the development of clinical complications of the disease.