OBJECTIVEIn adults with diabetes, in vivo platelet activation is a marker for atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease (CVD). This pilot study investigated whether adolescents with diabetes had evidence of increased in vivo platelet activation.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODSIn vivo platelet activation was compared in four groups of age-matched adolescents: type 1 diabetes (T1D, n = 15), type 2 diabetes (T2D; n = 15), control subjects with normal BMI (n = 14), and overweight/obese control subjects (n = 13). Platelet surface activation markers and plasma levels of soluble activation markers were measured and compared among groups.
RESULTSIncreased expression of all activation markers was observed in T2D compared with either control group (P < 0.05); levels of soluble markers were also higher in T2D than in T1D (P < 0.05). There were no differences in marker expression between the nondiabetic control groups.
CONCLUSIONSPlatelet activation in adolescents with T2D may be a marker for the risk of CVD development in early adulthood.Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the primary cause of morbidity and mortality among adults with type 1 (T1D) and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Adults with diabetes have hyperactive platelets that are involved in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis and in acute arterial thrombosis (1,2). The relationship among diabetes, platelet hyperactivity, and CVD is well established in adults (1,2). The same connection has not been made in adolescents with diabetes, despite observations that some of these adolescents, particularly those with T2D, have risk factors for accelerated progression of atherosclerosis and onset of CVD in early adulthood (3,4).The purpose of this pilot study was to determine whether we could identify in vivo platelet activation in adolescents with T1D or T2D compared with age-and BMI-matched nondiabetic control subjects by examining the expression of surfaceexpressed and soluble platelet activation markers.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
Study ParticipantsAdolescents, ages 12-18 years, with T1D (n = 15), T2D (n = 15), and nondiabetic control subjects (n = 27: 14 with a normal BMI; 13 overweight or obese [OB]) were