title: Peripheral artery disease in type 2 diabetes: the role of fibrinolysis.
abstract: The aim of the present study is to verify the relationship between peripheral artery disease (PAD) and some coagulation/fibrinolysis parameters in type 2 diabetic patients. Sixty-three type 2 diabetic patients, without PAD, were studied at baseline and after 4 years. Assessments included tissue-Plasminogen Activator (t-PA), Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 antigen (PAI-1 Ag), Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor-1 activity (PAI-1 Act), Plasminogen (Pl), Fibrin peptide A (FPA), Fibrinogen (Fr), and the ankle/brachial pressure index (ABI). We observed a significant difference between diabetic patients and controls as regards tPA (11.8 +/- 5.4 vs. 6.6 +/- 3.0 ng/ml; p <0.05) and PAI-1 Act (17.8 +/- 9.2 vs. 11.7 +/- 6.6 ng/dl; p <0.005). After 4 years 13 diabetic patients became vasculopathic and, at baseline, had significantly lower tPA (8.9 +/- 4.8 vs. 12.5 +/- 5.3; p <0.011), and higher PAI-1 Ag (50.8 +/- 22.2 vs. 32 +/- 22.2; p <0.006), and PAI-1 Act values (24.1 +/- 9.5 vs. 16.1 +/- 8.4; p <0.014), compared with 50 diabetic patients who did not develop PAD after 4 years. These data show that the physiological equilibrium which exists between t-PA and PAI-1 moves towards higher levels in our diabetic patients compared with controls, at baseline, whereas diabetic patients who developed PAD showed a shift towards an antifibrinolytic pathway with diminished t-PA, increased PAI-1 Ag and PAI-1 Act and consequently procoagulant activity. Our study suggests that hypofibrinolysis may be involved in the future onset of PAD in type 2 diabetic patients.
authors.affiliation: University of Padova, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, Padova, Italy. annunziaita.lapolla@unipd.it
authors.forename: Annunziata
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lapolla
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Piarulli
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sartore
authors.forename: Ciro
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rossetti
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Martano
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Carraro
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Paoli
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fedele
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001777:Blood Coagulation; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D005342:Fibrinolysis; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D016491:Peripheral Vascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1 / Q000097:blood; D011446:Prospective Studies; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D017395:Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor 1; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator