Study of some fibrinolytic activity and fibronectin in diabetes mellitus

ABSTRACT

In order to explore the disturbances in the coagulation-fibrinolytic system in diabetics with micro and macro angiopathies plasma fibronectin, Plasminogen, serum fibrin [ogen] degradation products [FDPs] were measured in eight diabetic patients without angiopathies, ten non- insulin dependent diabetics [NIDD] and nine insulin-dependent diabetics [IDD] with angiopathies. The control group comprised ten healthy volunteers. These four groups were closely matched for age, sex and smoking habit. Plasma fibronectin, Plasminogen activity and serum FDPs were not significantly different between normals and different groups of diabetics and between NIDD and IDD with and without angiopathies. In diabetics fasting blood sugar as well as the duration of the disease had no influence on plasma fibronectin, Plasminogen and FDPs levels. It is concluded that the fibrinolytic system, in diabetics in whom a hypercoagulable state is expected, was not adequately compensated by an increase in its activity as demonstrated by the absence of the FDPs and normal Plasminogen level. Also, fibronectin plays no role in diabetic micro - and macro - angiopathies