Blood glycoprotein levels in diabetes mellitus.

Five glycoproteins have been measured in the blood of 145 diabetic patients with and without clinical evidence of complications. Patients with diabetic complications have higher glycoproteins levels particularly when expressed as a ratio to serum albumin levels. In 32 pairs of patients matched for age, sex, body weight, duration and treatment of diabetes, significantly higher haptoglobin, fibrinogen and caeruloplasmin levels were associated with the presence of diabetic complications, but blood glucose levels were not significantly different. Beta-lipoprotein levels were positively correlated with age and alpha2-macroglobulin levels with the duration of clinical disease, but the type of antidiabetic therapy administered did not significantly alter glycoprotein levels. It is suggested that rising levels of certain glycoproteins in the blood of diabetic patients may indicate the development of diabetic vascular complications, but a prospective study is required before it can be decided whether this change predates the clinical appearance of the complications.