Platelet Dysfunction In Patients With Diabetes Mellitus And The Significance Of Anti-platelet Therapy

Diabetes Mellitus is a chronic, systemic metabolic illness.The main causes of death for patients with type 2 diabetes are cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events.Studies have shown that platelets are hyperactive in diabetic patients, mirrored by enhanced platelet adhesion, aggregation and release reaction.These result in intravascular coagulation, thrombosis and atherosclerosis, playing an important role in the development of diabetic vascular diseases. Aspirin is the most widely used anti-platelet drug. There are lots of evidence to support the use of aspirin in primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in the population with diabetes.Aslo it has been recommended by several authoritative guidelines. However, recently, an increasing number of findings have sugge- sted that the platelet sensitivity to aspirin is decreased during some diabetic patients and platelet dysfunction can not be effectively suppressed,which is called "aspirin resistance".Currently the diagnostic criteria, mechanism, prevention and control measures for aspirin resistance are still remained to be further studied.