A study of activated platelet by flow cytometry in diabetic patients with peripheral arterial disease

Background and aim Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major risk factor for atherosclerosis that increases platelet activation and aggregation. Aim This study aimed to investigate the different types of platelet activation markers in diabetic patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Patients and methods Using flow cytometry on forty noninsulin-dependent diabetic type II patients with PAD receiving antiplatelet therapy, participants were divided into two groups: those with controlled, uncontrolled DM and 20 control samples. Results There was a highly significant increase in mean platelet volume, CD62P%, CD62 mean fluorescence intensity, and CD63% in the uncontrolled DM group compared with the control group, in addition to a highly significant correlation between CD62P% and glycated hemoglobin in all cases, with a P value of 0.015. Conclusion The CD62P% is a more selective platelet marker that is activated in uncontrolled DM, causing atherosclerosis and leading to PAD. Glycemic control is the most important factor in the prevention of atherothrombotic progress than antiplatelet treatment.