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PLATELET FUNCTION IN DIABETES MELLITUS
Author(s) -
Colwell John A.,
Halushka Perry V.
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
british journal of haematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.907
H-Index - 186
eISSN - 1365-2141
pISSN - 0007-1048
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2141.1980.tb08705.x
Subject(s) - south carolina , citation , administration (probate law) , medical library , medicine , library science , gerontology , family medicine , political science , law , computer science , public administration
In spite of great advances in treatment of diabetes mellitus, accelerated disease of the microcirculation and the large vessels accounts for the majority of cases of blindness, renal failure, and sudden cardiac death. In insulin-dependent diabetes, life expectancy is 17 years less than the general population (Marks & Krall, 1973). Renal failure and sudden cardiac deaths contribute maximally to the mortality figures, while blindness from obliterative retinal vascular disease occurs in many diabetics of long duration. In non-insulin dependent diabetics, life expectancy is also shortened, either by atherosclerosis of the larger vessels of heart, legs or brain or by associated microvascular disease. Recent studies have improved our understanding of the pathogenesis ofatherosclerosis (Ross 8i Glomset, 1975) and of microvascular disease (McMillan, 1975; Colwell et al, 1979a, b) and an important role for the platelet has been postulated (Colwell et al , 1976; Sage1 et al , 1975). Many studies have now shown that altered platelet function occurs in diabetes mellitus, and the biochemical mechanisms which may underly these platelet functional abnormalities are becoming clear. Therapy based on these studies has been proposed, and is under investigation in large-scale cooperative studies of patients with diabetes mellitus.