Role of platelets in diabetic microangiopathy--an additional factor.

A study of platelet aggregation in 324 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients and 24 patients with microvascular complications of DM (retinopathy) is reported. Platelet aggregation tests showed that DM patients can be divided into two groups: "normal" and "prone." The mean reading and standard deviation (SD) of the normal group was found to be 22.6% (SD 6.99%). The mean reading and standard deviation of the prone group was found to be 60.5% (SD 12.7%) respectively. All patients with microangiopathy had a significant increase, all of them being in the prone range, with a mean of 69.5% (SD 7.2%). Platelet hyperfunction appears to be a high-risk factor for the development of diabetic microangiopathies. A hypothesis postulating platelet hyperfunction as an additional factor along with altered glycoprotein metabolism and explaining the chain of events in the genesis of diabetic microangiopathies is presented.