LIPID-COMPOSITION OF PLATELETS IN PATIENTS WITH NON-INSULIN-DEPENDENTDIABETES-MELLITUS - STUDIES BEFORE AND AFTER TREATMENT OF DIABETES

The study was designed to investigate whether impaired composition of platelet lipids in untreated diabetic patients improved after diabetic treatment. Fourteen untreated patients with non-insulin-dependent dia betes mellitus (NIDDM) and 15 healthy control subjects were studied. I n the diabetic patients, the ratio of free cholesterol to phospholipid (FC/PL) in platelets of 0.33 +/- 0.02 (mean +/- SEM) at pre-treatment , which was statistically (p < 0.05) higher than that of 0.26 +/- 0.02 in control subjects, was significantly decreased to the value of 0.29 +/- 0.02 (p < 0.01) after insulin therapy. Platelet FC level of 9.77 +/-0.77 mug 10(-8) cells pre-treatment was significantly (p < 0.01) re duced to the value of 7.72 +/- 0.38 mug 10(-8) cells post-treatment. P latelet PL level showed no significant changes after the treatment. Th ere was a significantly (p < 0.01) positive correlation between the de crease in FC/PL of platelets and that in haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) after treatment for diabetes (rs = -0.729). These results indicate that the impaired lipid composition in platelets can be improved after an adeq uate glycaemic control in patients with NIDDM.