Role of Coagulation Factors in Diabetic Retinopathy

The role of coagulation factors in diabetic retinopathy was studied in non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients. Patients with retionopathy had higher levels of beta thromboglobulin, von Willebrand factor and fibrinogen levels compared to diabetics without retinopathy and controls. Serum magnesium levels were not significantly different between the groups studied. The role of coagulation factors in the aetiopathogenesis of diabetes retinopathy merits further study. The factors implicated in diabetic microangiopathy include changes in physical and functional properties of red blood cells, alterations in platelet aggregation and adhesiveness, prostaglandin metabolism and changes in clotting factors and blood viscosity [1]. Some of these changes may precede the development of retinopathy and may be related to the severity of the disease. In this study, some of the important biochemical parameters in blood which give an indication of the changes occurring in coagulation processes were studied in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Three groups of diabetic patients were studied: NIDDM without retinopathy, NIDDM with background diabetic retinopathy and NIDDM with proliferative diabetic retinopathy. The aim of the study was to look for possible differences in coagulation factors between these three groups of patients.