[Hyperhomocysteinemia and plasma acute-phase proteins in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and severe course of atherosclerosis after vascular operations].

Interdependence between the level of homocysteine and acute-phase proteins was assessed in patients presenting with a severe course of atherosclerosis. We examined a total of 67 patients aged 62.3 +/- 1.03 years. Of these, 34 patients had type 2 diabetes mellitus and 35 were non-diabetic. The diabetic patients were found to suffer a severe course of the disease, with 65.6% having a decompensated form. We carried out a comparative analysis of the level of homocysteine, C-reactive protein, and that of fibrinogen. It was noted that diabetic patients significantly more often showed high levels of blood-plasma total homocysteine, C-reactive protein, and that of fibrinogen as compared to nondiabetic patients. Hyperhomocysteinemia appeared to correlate with elevated levels of C-reactive protein (r = 0.37, p = 0.04) and that of fibrinogen (r = 0.36, p = 0.04) at HbA1c > or = 7%. The obtained findings strongly suggest interrelationship of high levels of blood-plasma homocysteine and an elevation in acute-phase proteins in a decompensated form of diabetes mellitus and the presence of sluggish chronic inflammation in all patients, either with or without diabetes mellitus. Inclusion of homocysteine measuring and a highly sensitive method for determining C-reactive protein into the standard of examining patients with atherosclerosis improves diagnosis of the pathological condition, while timely correction of the impairments revealed promotes a decrease in the risk of the development of complications.