Fibrinolytic activity in Nigerian diabetics

Fibrinolytic activity, using euglobulin lysis time (ELT), was assessed in 46 Nigerians with type 2 diabetes mellitus to study the effect of the disease on fibrinolytic component of haemostasis. There were 20 females and 26 males. Fifty age matched non-diabetics and apparently healthy Nigerians were similarly studied as controls; there were 24 females and 26 males. In the patients, the mean (SD) age of the females was 56.7 (12.0) years and mean (SD) ELT was 276.4 (62.2) min; the mean age of the males was 55.7 (8.5) years and mean ELT was 303.5 (51.5) min. The mean age for female controls was 54.3 (12.6) years and their mean ELT was 198.3 (37.5) min; the mean age of the male controls was 53.4 (11.0) years and mean ELT was 181.6 (39.4) min. There was reduced fibrinolytic activity in diabetic Nigerians as revealed by significantly prolonged ELT in diabetic patients compared with healthy controls. There was good correlation between the blood glucose level and ELT. The observed changes in fibrinolytic activity in this study were not affected by duration of illness. The prolonged ELT in the diabetic population is an additional risk factor for thromboembolic disorders. Fibrinolytic agents may therefore be useful in the management of diabetes mellitus.