Role of Von Willebrand Factor in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients

Endothelial dysfunction is the main cause of morbidity and mortality in diabetic patients. Endothelial dysfunction has been incriminated in the early pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and is considered an early indicator of cardiovascular disease by dysregulation of vascular tone, growth, thrombogenicity, inflammation and the development of both micro-and macro-vascular disease states. Von Willebrand factor is a well-known marker of endothelial dysfunction. The objective of this study is to measure plasma levels of von Willebrand factor in type 2 DM patients and to compare with the normal subjects. Urinary albumin levels, which is also a marker of generalised endothelial dysfunction and a strong predictor for the development of both micro-and macro-vascular disease was also assessed in the two groups and its association with von Willebrand factor (vWF) was studied.