Coagulation and inflammation in overt diabetic nephropathy: association with hyperhomocysteinemia.

Abstract Background : Diabetic nephropathy, especially when advanced, is associated with high prevalence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in which inflammation and coagulation may play pathogenic roles. We investigated the relationships between diabetic nephropathy and coagulation, fibrinolysis, or inflammation in patients with Type 2 diabetes. Methods : We evaluated markers of inflammation and coagulation in 105 Type 2 diabetic patients with various grades of nephropathy and 49 healthy control subjects, in association with plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) measurements. Results : Plasma tHcy concentrations were significantly higher in diabetic patients than in controls (8.96±3.04 vs. 6.92±1.36 μmol/l, P P Conclusions : Diabetic nephropathy is associated with elevated markers for both coagulation and inflammation. High plasma homocysteine may be a link between diabetic nephropathy and both chronic inflammation and hypercoagulability, increasing cardiovascular risk.