ABSTRACT
Alterations in Relative Plasma Viscosity (RPV) and Plasma Fibrinogen Concentration (PFC) were compared in 24 insulin-dependent (IDDM) and33 non-insulin-dependent (NIDDM) black Nigerian diabetics, during the course of treatment. Both PFC and RPV were significantly (p<0.001) increased in the diabetics, as a group, compared to a non-diabetic control group. PFC and RPV showed consistently marginal, though insignificant, increases in the IDDM vs NIDDM. Hypertensive diabetics, as a group, had significantly greater PFC (p<0.025), and RPV (p<0.025) than normotensive diabetics. Although PFC was significantly (p<0.05) raised in hypertensive IDDM, there was no marked change between hypertensive and normotensive NIDDM. The implication of the present findings is that insulin-dependent diabetics may be more prone than non-insulin-dependent diabetics to develop haemorheological and hence circulatory disorders