Improvement of metabolic control and changes of fatty acid composition do not alter platelet aggregability and thromboxane production in type 2 diabetes mellitus.

To evaluate whether improvement of metabolic control or changes in fatty acid composition of serum lipids may alter thromboxane (TXB2) formation and platelet function we followed up 25 newly diagnosed type 2 diabetics without angiopathy for about 6 months. Improvement of metabolic control was associated with significant decrease in total cholesterol (C), HDL-C, LDL-C, triglycerides (TG) and ratios of total C/HDL-C and LDL-C/HDL-C, respectively. Palmitic acid of TG and phospholipids decreased significantly whereas linoleic acid increased in the two serum lipids. The ADP-induced platelet aggregability and sensitivity were not altered. There was even no effect on TXB2 synthesis capacity of clotting whole blood during 6 months of treatment. Platelet aggregability and TXB2 formation were not correlated to the degree of metabolic control, nor was there any correlation to serum lipids and their fatty acid composition.