Haemorheology in insulin-dependent diabetes is still normal five years after onset of the disease.
In the development of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), rheological changes have been shown to precede clinically detectable microangiopathy. We studied 34 IDDM children 13.1 (6-20) years old with a duration of the disease of 5 years and with a haemoglobin A1c of 8.3% (4.5-12.8%). Fifteen apparently healthy children 14.7 (10-18) years old served as a control group. Whole blood and plasma viscosity, erythrocyte aggregation tendency and erythrocyte fluidity were assessed by rotational couette viscometry. Apart from a significantly higher haematocrit (Hct) (42.6 vs 40.1; p < 0.05), the IDDM group did not differ from the controls in any of the measured in vitro rheological variables. The difference in Hct was due to an abnormally high Hct in the female diabetic group. The subgroup of female diabetics also displayed a higher plasma viscosity and fibrinogen concentration than the diabetic males. Despite the sex differences in the diabetic group, blood rheology was still normal in both sexes in this early stage of the IDDM disease. These findings suggest that altered haemorheology is a late phenomenon (i.e. later than 5 years after the onset of the disease) in the development of vascular disease in IDDM.
Sandhagen
B
B
Department of Clinical Physiology, University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden.
Ewald
U
U
Tuvemo
T
T
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001809:Blood Viscosity / Q000502:physiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications*; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000502:physiology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006400:Hematocrit; D018056:Hemorheology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D013548:Sweden
D005340:Fibrinogen