ANTITHROMBIN III LEVELS IN TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS PATIENTS SEEN AT THE UNIVERSITY OF BENIN TEACHING HOSPITAL, BENIN CITY, EDO STATE

Abstract

Background: Antithrombin is a glycoprotein that functions as a potent natural anticoagulant
and is estimated to provide 80% of the inhibitory activity against thrombin. Low level of
Antithrombin has been associated with preeclampsia however this has not been investigated
in our environment.
Objectives:Theobjective of this study is to determine Antithrombin III (ATIII) levels in type
2 diabetics and to determine its association with vascular complications.
Material and Methods: This is a hospital based case control study. A total of two hundred
and twenty one subjects participated in this study including 104 diabetics on therapy, 104
therapy naïve diabetics and 54 controls. Antithrombin activity was assayed using a standard
chromogenic method usingTechnochrome AT III kit (Xa inhibition method) and AT III
antigen determine with ELISA kit (ASSAYPRO Lot No.061371506). Haematological
parameters were analyzed using ERMA haemato-autoanalyzer. Results were analysed using
SPSS version 16. Student‘s t-test was used to compare results between both groups while
Chi-square was used to establish association between variables. P value < 0.05 was
significant.
Results:The mean ATIII activity levels in the study subjects were 79.00%, 83.31±30.00%,
and 92.82±20.02% in the therapy naïve diabetics; diabetics on therapy and controls
respectively. The difference in means between the three groups was statistically significant (p
value = 0.023). However; between the two diabetic groups the difference in means was not
statistically significant (p value = 0.085).
No significant association was established between ATIII deficiencies and vascular
complications in diabetics‘ on therapy and those that are yet to commence therapy. In
diabetics on therapy, a significant positive correlation was found between AT activity and

x

patient age (r=0.202; p=0.043); no significant correlation was found between AT III and
SEC, weight, height and BMI.In therapy naive diabetics, a significant negative correlation
was found between AT III activity with patient weight and BMI (r=-0.253;p=0.047 and r=
0.276;p=0.030 respectively); no significant correlation was found between AT III and other
biochemical and hematological parameters in both diabetics on therapy and therapy naïve
diabetics.
Conclusion: Antithrombin level/activity was observed to be low in type 2 diabetics‘
compared to healthy normal non diabetics‘ (p value = 0.023).