Association Between Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus and Platelet Count in Patients with Primary Liver Cancers

Objective  To determine the association between type-2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and platelet count in patients with primary liver cancers (PLC).

Methods  We included 375 patients with a hospital discharge diagnosis of PLC treated in the China-Japan Friendship Hospital from January 2003 to April 2012 in this investigation, according to the diagnostic criteria, inclusion and exclusion criteria. The demographic, clinical, biochemical and metabolic data were analyzed; and the multivariate logistic regression model was used to determine the association between DM and platelet count in PLC patients.

Results  Of the total 375 patients, 63 (16.8%) cases were diagnosed with DM, the mean neutrophil count was (4.13±2.49)×10⁹/L, the mean hemoglobin was (132.5±23.8)g/L, the median/interquartile range of platelet count was 130/(85-189)×10⁹/L and the mean international normalized ratio (INR) level was (1.20±0.27). A statistical difference was found by univariate analysis for the platelet count 113/ (64-157)×10⁹/L vs. 139/(89-192)×10⁹/L, P=0.020, however, no statistical difference (OR=0.999, 95%CI: 0.995-1.003, P=0.505) was found by the multivariate analysis, after controlling the age, HBV infection, hemoglobin and INR.

Conclusion  PLC patients with type-2 DM have obviously decreased platelet count, compared with those without DM, which is modified by other factors.