title: The role of haematological factors in diabetic peripheral arterial disease: the Edinburgh artery study.
abstract: The relationship between haematological factors and peripheral arterial disease (PAD) among diabetics has not been widely examined. 1592 men and women aged 55-74 years were selected from the general population. They underwent an assessment for PAD and a glucose tolerance test. 288 subjects (18.7%) were identified as having diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT). Among the diabetes/IGT group, median levels of fibrinogen, von Willebrand factor (VWF), tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), fibrin D-dimer and plasma viscosity were higher in subjects with PAD than those without PAD (P </= 0.05). The prevalence of PAD was higher in those with diabetes/IGT (20.6%) compared to those with normal glucose tolerance (12.5%) (odds ratio 1.64; 95% CI 1.17, 2.31). After separate adjustment for fibrinogen, VWF, t-PA, fibrin D-dimer, leucocyte elastase, plasma viscosity and haematocrit, those with diabetes/IGT no longer had a significantly higher risk of PAD compared to those with a normal glucose tolerance test. Simultaneous adjustment for the first four of these haematological factors reduced the risk of PAD among subjects with diabetes/IGT to 1.11 (95% CI 0.76, 1.63). Increased levels of haemostatic factors may partly explain the higher prevalence of PAD in diabetic/IGT subjects compared to normal glucose-tolerant subjects. Future randomized controlled trials involving the indirect lowering of levels of haematological factors should help to explain whether the associations reported here are of causal significance.
authors.affiliation: Wolfson Unit for Prevention of Peripheral Vascular Diseases, Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh.
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: MacGregor
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Hau
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Price
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rumley
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Lowe
authors.forename: F G
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Fowkes
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001779:Blood Coagulation Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D001809:Blood Viscosity / Q000502:physiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D018149:Glucose Intolerance / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016491:Peripheral Vascular Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000209:etiology; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D001779:Blood Coagulation Factors