Hemorheological profiles of diabetic stroke patients and diabetic individuals at high risk for stroke

Diabetes mellitus is associated with impaired nutritive perfusion of the microvasculature and is considered to be a major risk factor for stroke. The pathogeneses of thrombotic stroke as well as the microvascular complications resulting from diabetes remain unclear although a common underlying factor may be abnormal rheological properties of blood. To date we have studied the hemorheological profiles of a group of 216 individuals comprised of 68 acute stroke patients (Group 1) including a subgroup of 14 patients with diabetes, 38 patients with transient cerebrovascular ischemic attacks (TIA) (Group 2) (9 with diabetes), 50 individuals at high risk for stroke (Group 3) (10 with diabetes) and 60 healthy age-matched controls (Group 4). Whole blood viscosity, plasma viscosity, and fibrinogen were significantly elevated in Groups 1-3 in comparison to Group 4 whereas there was a significant decrease in the albumin globulin ratios in all three groups compared with the controls. Plasma viscosity was significantly elevated in stroke patients with diabetes as well as those at risk of stroke in comparison to those without diabetes ie., 1.96 vs. 1.82, p < 0.02 and 1.93 vs. 1.76 p < 0.001, respectively.