Diabetic hypertension--the importance of fibrinogen and blood viscosity.

Fibrinogen and blood viscosity were measured in 72 stable non-insulin dependent diabetic subjects, 31 without hypertension, and 41 who had treated hypertension. The hypertensive group had higher plasma fibrinogen levels and blood viscosity. As both these rheological variables have been associated with micro- and macro-vascular disease, these findings may provide a possible explanation for the mechanism of the increased vascular disease seen in hypertensive compared with normotensive diabetic subjects.