Increased thrombomodulin values in plasma of diabetic men with microangiopathy

To study the significance of plasma thrombomodulin (TM) values in diabetes mellitus, we determined plasma TM in 34 patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) men, mean age 54 (SE 2) years. Plasma TM was determined by an enzyme immunoassay with anti-TM monoclonal antibodies. The plasma TM values were significantly greater in NIDDM patients with nephropathy than in patients without nephropathy (P less than 0.001). Also, a significant positive correlation was noted between the concentration of plasma TM and serum creatinine (r = 0.55, P less than 0.001). The plasma TM values of the patients with retinopathy were significantly greater than the values of those without it (P less than 0.002). Furthermore, we noted a significant positive correlation (r = 0.78, P less than 0.001) between plasma TM and the severity of diabetic retinopathy as graded by Scott's classification. These results suggest a close relationship between TM and diabetic microangiopathy.