The SA Journal Diabetes & Vascular Disease Vol 13 No 1 (July 2016)

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46 VOLUME 13 NUMBER 1 • JULY 2016
PATIENT INFORMATION LEAFLET SA JOURNAL OF DIABETES & VASCULAR DISEASE
you notice them in yourself or your family. Diabetes can be treated,
and when it is recognised early on, and by adopting a healthy lifestyle,
the chances of developing the devastating problems associated with
uncontrolled diabetes are a lot smaller. Life with diabetes can be
normal.
Worldwide, there are almost 200 million women with diabetes. • 1
One in two adults with diabetes are undiagnosed. • 1
People with diabetes are two to four times more likely to develop •
cardiovascular disease than people without diabetes.2
Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in men •
and women with diabetes.2
Thirty to 40% of women with diabetes have problems with sexual •
function.2
Women are twice as likely as men to suffer from depression. • 2
Gestational diabetes tends to occur from the 24th week of pregnancy, •
and it may be necessary to be screened for diabetes at this time.1
References
1. International Diabetes Federation. IDF Diabetes Atlas, 7th edn. Brussels, Belgium:
International Diabetes Federation, 2015.
Accessed 11 May 2016.
2. International Diabetes Federation. Women and Diabetes. Diabetes Voice
2002: 47.
Adolescents with type 2 diabetes
are at risk of atherosclerosis and
cardiovascular disease early on in life. There
are well-established data that diabetes,
platelet hyperactivity and cardiovascular
disease (CVD) are causes of mortality in
adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
The purpose of a pilot study by Israels et
al., published in Diabetes Care on 4 June
2014, was to establish whether the same
connection was present in adolescents
as in adults relative to non-diabetic
control subjects. The study examined the
expression of the surface and soluble
platelet activation markers.
Increased platelet activation leads to cardiovascular risk in
adolescents with type 2 diabetes
In vivo platelet activation was compared
in four different groups of adolescents aged
12 to 18 years. These groups comprised
type 1 diabetics (n = 15), type 2 diabetics
(n = 15), control subjects with normal body
mass index (n = 14) and control subjects
who were obese/overweight (n = 13). Type
1 and 2 diabetes were classified according
to Canadian Diabetes Association criteria.
Subjects with Prader–Willi syndrome
or hypothyroidism, those who abused
alcohol or drugs, had congenital CVD, were
pregnant, and/or who used glucocorticoids,
lipid-lowering agents or platelet-inhibitory
agents were all excluded from this study.
Measurements of platelet surface and
soluble activation markers were performed
using the FACSCalibur flow cytometer.
Results were shown as percentage of
platelets expressing CD62P and CD63
platelet surface antigen as well as PAC-1
monoclonal antibodies.
Results showed that there were
significantly higher platelet activation
markers in adolescent type 2 diabetics
when compared with either the obese
or normal control group (p < 0.05).
There was a small difference in platelet
activation between adolescent type 1
diabetics and the two control groups,
although the pattern leaned towards an
increase in activation markers for type 1
diabetics. There were no differences in
platelet activation markers between the
non-diabetic groups.
The study showed that in vivo platelet
activation was increased in adolescent
type 2 diabetics, which can be a potential
cause of atherosclerosis, thrombosis and
other cardiovascular diseases in early
adulthood. Although it was a small study,
it raises awareness of the fact that a more
aggressive approach should be undertaken
when modifying therapeutic interventions
for type 2 diabetes in adolescents.
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