[Hemostasis in patients with diabetes mellitus. I. Markers of endothelial dysfunction].

In the submitted pilot study the authors examined 47 diabetic patients without vascular complications and 15 healthy blood donors. In an aged-matched sub-group the authors confirmed significantly elevated levels of Willebrand factor (vWF) in patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), as compared with healthy blood donors, while the thrombomodulin (TM) levels did not differ significantly. The mutual correlation of parameters with calcium-dependent release (vWF, platelet factor PF4 and C-peptide) was confirmed in the group of patients with NIDDM with normal TM values and in the group of blood donors. These findings could be explained by the hypothesis that raised intracellular calcium levels, described already in early stages of diabetes could in diabetic patients participate also in the activation of haemostasis.