Abstract
Blood rheology was studied in seven patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and eight sex- and age-matched healthy control subjects after induction of hypoglycaemia by a bolus injection of regular insulin (0.15 IU/kg).
The diabetic patients had a significantly higher mean blood viscosity (4.86±0.14 mPa.s) and erythrocyte aggregation tendency (1.22± 0.06) in the basal state than the control subjects (3.92±0.17 mPa.s, p<0.001 and 1.00±0.03, p<0.01 respectively).
During insulin-induced hypoglycaemia, the haematocrit and the plasma viscosity increased significantly in control subjects. In the diabetic patients the haematocrit remained unchanged and the plasma viscosity increased less than in the control subjects. Blood viscosity and the aggregation tendency increased significantly in the two groups during hypoglycaemia and correlated significantly to the plasma adrenaline concentration at the glucose nadir (r=0.89, p<0.001 and r=0.63, p<0.01 respectively). Erythrocyte fluidity decreased significantly during hypoglycaemia in diabetic patients but not in the healthy subjects.
The observed haemorheological changes during insulin-induced hypoglycaemia might imply an increased risk of thromboembolic events in association with hypoglycaemia in insulin-dependent diabetic patients.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.