Plasma interleukin-6 is associated with coagulation in poorly controlled patients with Type 2 diabetes.
OBJECTIVE
We investigated the relationship between interleukin (IL)-6 and coagulation, i.e. whether changes in the plasma IL-6 are associated with those in coagulation markers (D dimer and fibrinogen) after glycaemic control with sulphonylurea or insulin in poorly controlled patients with Type 2 diabetes.


METHODS
We studied 42 patients with Type 2 diabetes, including 19 subsequently treated with sulphonylurea, 23 treated with insulin and 48 control subjects. All patients were in poor glycaemic control and were hospitalized for 3 weeks. At the beginning and end of treatment, we measured plasma concentrations of IL-6, fibrinogen, and D dimer.


RESULTS
Plasma concentrations of IL-6 and D dimer were significantly higher in diabetic patients than in controls (P<0.0001 for both). In all patients with diabetes, the plasma concentration of IL-6 decreased significantly (P<0.001) after treatment. Changes in the plasma IL-6 during hospitalization were positively correlated with those in plasma D dimer and fibrinogen (r=0.664, P<0.0001; r=0.472, P=0.0042, respectively). Treatment with sulphonylurea or insulin caused a similar fall in the plasma IL-6 concentration with a concomitant decrease in the BMI and an equal improvement in glycaemia.


CONCLUSIONS
In poorly controlled patients with Type 2 diabetes, plasma IL-6 concentrations were reduced significantly even by short-term metabolic control. As changes in the plasma concentrations of D dimer are related to plasma IL-6, plasma IL-6 may reflect a pro-coagulant as well as an inflammatory state in patients with Type 2 diabetes.
Aso
Y
Y
Department of Internal Medicine, Koshigaya Hospital, Dokkyo University School of Medicine, Koshigaya, Japan. yaso@dokkyomed.ac.jp
Okumura
K
K
Yoshida
N
N
Tayama
K
K
Kanda
T
T
Kobayashi
I
I
Takemura
Y
Y
Inukai
T
T
D001777:Blood Coagulation / Q000502:physiology*; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D005338:Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products / Q000032:analysis; D005340:Fibrinogen / Q000032:analysis; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013453:Sulfonylurea Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use
D001786:Blood Glucose; D005338:Fibrin Fibrinogen Degradation Products; D007328:Insulin; D015850:Interleukin-6; D013453:Sulfonylurea Compounds; D005340:Fibrinogen