BACKGROUNDEndothelial dysfunction is the main cause of morbidity and mortality in diabetic patients. Endothelial dysfunction has been incriminated in the early pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and is considered an early indicator of cardiovascular disease by dysregulation of vascular tone, growth, thrombogenicity, inflammation and the development of both micro-and macro-vascular disease states. Von Willebrand factor is a well-known marker of endothelial dysfunction. The objective of this study is to measure plasma levels of von Willebrand factor in type 2 DM patients and to compare with the normal subjects. Urinary albumin levels, which is also a marker of generalised endothelial dysfunction and a strong predictor for the development of both micro-and macro-vascular disease was also assessed in the two groups and its association with von Willebrand factor (vWF) was studied.

Introduction: Globally, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) prevalence is increasing. Endothelial dysfunction is known to be associated with T2DM. The aim of the present study is to assess endothelial dysfunction by measuring plasma levels of von Willebrand factor and urine albumin levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and in healthy subjects. Materials and Methods: This is a prospective, case-control study conducted in the department of physiology in association with department of Endocrinology, MS Ramaiah Memorial and Teaching Hospital, Bangalore. A total of 50 subjected were recruited into the study. Among them 25 were T2DM patients as cases and 25 age and sex matched healthy controls. Under aseptic conditions, After 12 hours of fasting 5 ml venous blood sample is collected and plasma is separated. The separated plasma sample was used for the estimation FBS, PPBS, von Willebrand factor (vWF). Urine sample is used for the estimation of urine albumin. Anthropometric parameters like blood pressure, height, weight and BMI was measured. Results: In the present study, systolic blood pressure, FBS, PPBS, von Willebrand factor, urine albumin levels were significantly increased in T2DM cases compared with healthy controls. Von Willebrand factor and urinary albumin levels showed a weak correlation in type 2 DM patients (r= -0.245, p = 0.237) but such correlation was not observed in healthy subjects (r=0.212, p=0.310). Conclusion:In this study, von Willebrand factor(vWF) levels in plasma and urine albumin levels were increased significantly in T2DM patients compared to normals, which suggests that there is significant endothelial injury and vascular damage in T2DMPatients.