title: Erythrocyte mechanical fragility is increased in patients with type 2 diabetes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Anemia is common among patients with type 2 diabetes. We determined whether type 2 diabetic patients significantly differed in erythrocyte mechanical fragility as compared with nondiabetic subjects.
  
  
  METHODS
  We recruited 25 Caucasian patients with type 2 diabetes (14 men and 11 women; mean age 58±8 years) and 25 age-, race- and sex-matched nondiabetic individuals. The fragility of erythrocytes was tested by inducing mechanical hemolysis by double aspiration of K(2)EDTA blood through a 0.5 mL insulin syringe equipped with a very thin needle. The plasma was then separated from the blood cells by centrifugation at 2000 xg for 15 min at room temperature. A Beckman Coulter DxC 800 was used to measure the hemolysis index by direct spectrophotometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with matched nondiabetic controls, type 2 diabetic patients had a significantly increased mechanical fragility of erythrocytes (hemolysis index ratio 21±13 vs. 14±10, p=0.02). Univariable linear regression analysis revealed that there was a strong positive association between percent hemolysis and fasting plasma glucose (r=0.669, p<0.001) and hemoglobin A1c (r=0.549, p<0.005) in type 2 diabetic subjects, but not in matched nondiabetic controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that patients with type 2 diabetes have a significantly higher erythrocyte mechanical fragility than matched nondiabetic subjects, and that fasting plasma glucose is the strongest correlate of increased mechanical fragility of erythrocytes in this patients group.
authors.affiliation: Clinical Chemistry and Hematology Laboratory, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Academic Hospital of Parma, Parma, Italy. glippi@ao.pr.it
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Lippi
authors.forename: Mariella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mercadanti
authors.forename: Rosalia
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aloe
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Targher
mesh_terms: D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000378:metabolism; D006461:Hemolysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009996:Osmotic Fragility; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin