Relationship between fatty acid pattern and platelet aggregation in long-term insulin-dependent type I diabetics.

We investigated triglycerides, total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, the fatty acid patterns of serum triglycerides, cholesterol esters and phospholipids in relation to the ADP induced platelet aggregation in 34 long-term insulin-dependent diabetic patients with an extremely long diabetes duration of about 40 years. The concentrations of triglycerides, total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol of the patients did not differ from those of an age-matched non-diabetic control group. In the insulin-dependent diabetics the percentages of arachidonic and eicosapentaenoic acid in both serum cholesterol esters and phospholipids were decreased in comparison with control subjects. No difference was observed with respect to the ADP induced platelet aggregation between long-term diabetics and controls. The findings demonstrate that type I diabetic patients with an extremely long duration of diabetes are not characterized by increased serum lipids or platelet aggregation, both being well known risk factors for macroangiopathy. However the decreased portions in eicosanoid synthesis precursors may indicate a disturbed fatty acid metabolism.