Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) and high blood pressure (HBP) may contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease, and inflammation may be an important factor in these diseases. In the present study, plasma levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) were measured in subjects with DM2 and/or HBP and compared to those of normal subjects. Eighty-nine subjects were analyzed for hs-CRP, including 13 normotensive patients with DM2, 17 patients with HBP, 34 hypertensive patients with DM2 (DM2+HBP) and 25 normal subjects. The plasma hs-CRP levels were significantly lower in the controls than in the HBP+DM2 group (p < 0.05). DM2 associated with HBP was also correlated with increased plasma hs-CRP levels (n = 89, r = 0.25, p = 0.0162). Only hypertensive patients with DM2 had higher levels of hs-CRP, a circulating inflammatory marker, than normal subjects. This finding suggests that patients with two associated diseases have a more active inflammatory state.

Hemostatic changes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus Diabetes has acquired an epidemic character due to the large increase in the number of individuals affected over recent decades. Diabetes-related mortality is associated with thrombotic events, especially cardiovascular. In general, patients with diabetes present symptoms of hypercoagulability and hypofibrinolysis. However, the mechanisms that trigger hemostatic abnormalities in diabetic patients are not clear. The aim of this paper was to address the most frequent changes of the hemostatic system in diabetic patients described in the literature. Diabetics have abnormalities of the endothelium, platelets, clotting factors, natural anticoagulants and the fibrinolytic system; all these changes are directly and/or indirectly caused by hyperglycemia. Thus, analytes such as von Willebrand factor, factor VIII, fibrinogen and D-dimer are markers that should be interpreted differently in diabetic patients. Laboratory evidence of hemostatic abnormalities in diabetic patients supports clinical observations that diabetes is a state of hypercoagulability and hypofibrinolysis. Strategies for clinical intervention and medications are not well established considering the results of the hemostatic markers.

Asymptomatic diabetic patients with different degrees of macrovascular complications can present different hemostatic changes. At this study, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and D-dimer were evaluated in 12 women without diabetes and 64 type 2 diabetic women. All patients were classified into 3 different categories according to the carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) assessed by Doppler: 25 with <1 mm (normal), 15 with >1 mm and without plaque (intermediate), and 24 with stenosis lower than 50% of the vessel lumen (plaque). The results showed increased plasma D-dimer in type 2 diabetic women with carotid plaque when compared to the other groups. High levels of PAI-1 were observed in all the 3 groups of diabetic women when compared to women without diabetes. Our results suggest that high levels of PAI-1 in type 2 diabetic women are only associated with diabetes and are not associated with macrovascular progression; however, it seems that D-dimer plasma levels are associated with carotid plaque.

Background: Thrombotic episodes account for approximately 80% of deaths in type 2 diabetic patients. Hyperhomocysteinaemia is a well recognized independent risk factor for atherosclerosis and thromboembolism. Increased homocysteine levels may occur due to a number of factors including inherited gene polymorphism of methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T. Here, we evaluate plas- ma total homocysteine (tHcy) levels and frequency of the MTHFR C677T gene polymorphism in asymptomatic healthy volunteers and type 2 diabetic patients with hypertension but without nephropathy. We have also investigated the relationship between tHcy levels and the presence of MTHFR C677T gene polymorphism. Methods: Plasma tHcy levels and MTHFR C677T genotype were investigated in a total of 53 subjects. These included asymptomatic healthy volunteers (n = 16), patients with type 2 diabetes (n = 7), subjects with hypertension (n = 12) and patients with both type 2 diabetes and hypertension (n = 18). Renal function, serum lipids and other metabolites were also assessed. Results: There was no significant difference in tHcy levels between the groups studied. The frequency of MTHFR C677T gene polymorphism observed was similar to that obtained for the general Brazilian population. In patients with type 2 diabetes and hypertension but without impaired renal function, we observed no meaningful correlation between increased tHcy levels and the presence of MTHFR C677T gene polymorphism. Conclusions: Type 2 diabetics who are homozygous or heterozygous for the MTHFR C677T gene polymorphism showed normal tHcy levels. Our results further suggest that diabetes without an associated adverse risk profile is not an independent correlate of increased tHcy levels.

y unitermos key words resumo Introdução: As dislipidemias, o diabetes mellitus (DM) e a hipertensão arterial sistêmica (HAS) são importantes fatores no desenvolvimento da doença arterial coronariana (DAC), a principal causa de morte de indivíduos adultos no mundo. Diversos estudos têm demonstrado correlação positiva entre concentrações plasmáticas elevadas de colesterol presente na lipoproteína de baixa densidade (LDL-C) e/ou baixas concentrações de colesterol presente na lipoproteína de alta densidade (HDL-C) e aumento de risco para doenças cardiovasculares (DCV). Objetivo: Correlacionar os valores do perfil lipídico, apolipoproteínas (Apo) A-I e B, lipoproteína(a) [Lp(a)] e microalbuminúria em indivíduos com e sem DM e HAS. Material e métodos: Os participantes, com faixa etária de 40 a 65 anos, foram divididos em cinco grupos: 1. controle (indivíduos hígidos, n = 16); 2. HAS (hipertensos, n = 12); 3. DM (DM2, normotensos e normoalbuminúricos, n = 7); 4. DM + HASnAlb (DM2, hipertensos e normoalbuminúricos, n = 18); e 5. DM + HASmAlb (DM2, hipertensos e microalbuminúricos, n = 9). Resultados: Foram observadas diferenças estatísticas para o LDL-C entre a média do grupo 5 em relação às médias dos demais grupos; para triglicérides (TGL), entre as médias dos grupos 2, 4 e 5 em relação à do grupo 1. Para as médias de colesterol total (CT), HDL-C, Lp(a) e Apo A-I não houve diferença significativa entre os grupos. As médias para Apo B dos grupos 4 e 5 apresentaram diferenças significativas com relação ao grupo 1. Foi observada correlação positiva entre o LDL-C e a Apo B (r = 0,684); p < 0,0001) e entre o HDL-C e a Apo A-I (r = 0,374; p = 0,003), de acordo com a literatura. Conclusão: Entre todos os parâmetros avaliados o LDL-C foi o único que apresentou diferenças significativas entre o grupo 5, cujos indivíduos apresentam as duas patologias combinadas (DM e HAS), além da microalbuminúria, em relação aos demais grupos estudados, sugerindo que a associação das duas patologias, aliada à presença de microalbuminúria, poderia ter contribuído para o agravamento da dislipidemia. Perfil lipídico ApolipoproteínasDiabetes mellitus tipo 2 A-I and B, Lipoprotein(a) 684); p < 0,0001) and 374; p = 0,003), according to literature. Conclusion: Among all parameters assessment, LDL-C was the unique one that showed significant differences between the group 5, whose participants present both alterations (DM and HAS) besides the microalbuminuria, related to other groups studied. This comes to suggest that the association between the two diseases allied to microalbuminuria may contribute to the dyslipidemia aggravation. Hipertensão arterial abstract Background: Dyslipidemias, diabetes mellitus (DM), high blood pressure are important factors for development of the coronary artery disease (CAD), principal cause of death in the world. Several studies have demonstrated positive correlation between both LDL-C high plasma levels and HDL-C low concentrations and increased risk for cardiovascular diseases. Objectives: To establish the possi...

The association between type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease is long recognized. Although perturbations of haemostatic markers have been shown to be associated with macrovascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes, it is unclear whether these are primarily due to endothelial dysfunction or a result of inflammation. The present study was undertaken to elucidate whether elevated levels of factor VIII (FVIII) and von Willebrand factor (vWF) in women with type 2 diabetes represent endothelial dysfunction, inflammation or an alternate mechanism. Sixty-four women with type 2 diabetes were evaluated using ultrasonography Doppler for carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) and were classified as group A--having no (<1  mm), group B - mild (≥1  mm and no plaque) and group C--moderate (≥1 mm and presence of plaque and stenosis) macrovascular disease. Several haemostatic markers including, FVIII, vWF and fibrinogen were assessed. In addition, thrombomodulin, a marker for endothelial damage, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), an inflammatory marker, were also measured. A significant association of elevated FVIII was found in group B and C patients (i.e. patients with IMT ≥1 mm and with plaque). Elevated fibrinogen and vWF levels were also found but confined to group C patients. No significant difference among subgroups was found for any other variable evaluated (hsCRP, thrombomodulin and FVII). In conclusion, plasma FVIII levels are elevated in women with type 2 diabetes and macrovascular disease. It also appears that this is not mediated by inflammation or endothelial injury and is likely to be due to an alternate mechanism.

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