Hemostasis effects of various glucose-lowering medications and angiopathy prevention

Abstract

Aim. To assess hemostasis effects of various glucose-lowering medications (GLM), such as sulphanilamides, biguanides, and insulin, in regard to micro- and microangiopathy progression over 5 years in patients with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM-2).
Material and methods. The study included 72 patients with DM-2 (47 women, 25 men; median age 54,0 years (49,0-59,0 years); mean DM-2 duration 4,0 years (0,5-8,0 years)), receiving one of the following GLMs for 5 years: glibenclamide, gliclazide, metformin, insulin, or the combination of glibenclamide and metformin.
Results. Various GLMs had different effects on platelet activity. In the gliclazide group, aggregant activity was decreased, compared to the glibenclamide and insulin groups. In the metformin group, aggregant activity and platelet disaggregation were similar to that in the gliclazide group. The microangiopathy progression over 5 years was related to GLM therapy, being minimal in the DM-2 patients receiving metformin, and maximal among participants administered glibenclamide. The microangiopathy progression was minimal in the metformin and gliclazide groups, and maximal — in the glibenclamide group.
Conclusion. Carbohydrate and lipid metabolism compensation is not the only condition of angiopathy prevention. The latter should be based on the complex intervention, aimed at the complete metabolic compensation and hemostasis balance. The need for taking pleiotropic activity of specific agents into consideration when choosing GLM therapy is emphasized by protective effects of metformin (micro- and microangiopathy prevention) and gliclazide (microangiopathy prevention), but not glibenclamide.