Platelet Distribution Width is Associated with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Diabetic Nephropathy and Neuropathy

Abstract

Abstract: Aim: Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is one of the most important chronic conditions in the world that cause great economic burden on healthcare providers. Authors study novel inflammatory markers that derived from routine blood count tests in inflammatory conditions, such as T2DM. One of these parameters is platelet distribution width (PDW), which refers the size variability of circulating platelets. In present retrospective study, we aimed to compare PDW levels of T2DM patients to those with healthy subjects. We also aimed to compare PDW levels of diabetic subjects with and without chronic diabetic complications.
Methods: Type 2 diabetic patients admitted to outpatient clinics between January and June 2018 were enrolled to the study.
Results: The PDW of patients with T2DM (18.1 ± 0.9%) was significantly increased compared to the PDW of healthy control subjects (16.7± 0.5%). In subgroup analyze of patients with T2DM revealed that PDW and HbA1c levels of the patients with diabetic nephropathy were significantly elevated compared to the diabetic subjects without diabetic nephropathy (p < 0.001 for both HbA1c and PDW). Similarly, PDW and HbA1c levels of the patients with diabetic neuropathy were significantly elevated compared to the diabetic subjects without diabetic neuropathy (p < 0.001 for PDW and p = 0.01 for HbA1c). PDW was positively and significantly correlated with HbA1c (r = 0.63, p < 0.001) and fasting plasma glucose (r = 0.48, p < 0.001) levels. Conclusion: Elevated PDW should alert physicians for possible T2DM in otherwise healthy subjects. It may be useful in follow up of diabetic regulation and development of diabetic neuropathy and nephropathy in subjects with T2DM.