Haemostasis and carotid artery wall thickness in non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.

The purpose of this study was to examine the associations of carotid artery intima-media wall thickness (IMT) with hemostatic proteins and cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) in participants with and without non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). IMT measurements were determined by high resolution B-mode ultrasound imaging of the carotid arteries in 921 participants with NIDDM and 11,964 non-diabetic participants aged 45-64 years. Fasting glucose, serum lipids and activated partial thromboplastin time, factor VIII fibrinogen, factor VII, antithrombin III, protein C, and von Willebrand factor measurements were made. Compared to non-diabetic participants, participants with NIDDM had a more adverse pattern of CVRFs and a more procoagulatory profile. Participants with NIDDM had 0.06 mm (8.1%) higher mean IMT compared to non-diabetic participants after adjusting for age and gender (P