Platelets and Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Platelets change shape, aggregate and release their granule contents in response to collagen, thrombin, ADP, short-lived compounds formed from arachidonic acid, epinephrine and other stimuli. Platelet aggregation and release play a part in the development of atherosclerosis and its thromboembolic complications.The susceptibility of patients with diabetes mellitus to clinical complications of atherosclerosis has led to a number of studies of platelet adhesiveness and aggregation in diabetic subjects.^{1 2 3} These studies demonstrate that platelets from diabetic subjects show increased sensitivity to platelet aggregation induced by ADP, epinephrine or collagen. There is some evidence that the sensitivity of platelets to aggregation induced . . .