Diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia are associated with coronary heart disease and with hypercoagulability, another independent risk factor for coronary heart disease. In 65 non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus patients [41 females, 24 males, median age 66 years (range 43-81 years)] treated with antidiabetic agents glycometabolic control (HbA1c), lipids (Quetelet index and blood lipids), and several coagulation parameters were studied in comparison with a reference group. Serum triglycerides were elevated [median (interquartile range) 2.3 (1.3) mmol/l vs. 1.6 (0.7) mmol/l in the controls (P < 0.001)], whereas the median lipoprotein(a) concentration was 65 (157) mg/l in the diabetic patients versus 44 (114) mg/l in the control group (not significantly different). Median high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol concentrations were slightly decreased in the diabetic patients: 1.2 (0.3) mmol/l compared with 1.3 (0.4) mmol/l in the control group (P < 0.02). Elevated levels of fibrinogen, fibrin monomers, thrombin-antithrombin III complex, and factor VIIIc were found in the diabetic patients and factor VII in male diabetic patients. These elevated coagulation parameters are indicators of an activated coagulation system in this patient group. By Spearman's rank test, only HbA1c values correlated with anti-thrombin III (r = 0.27, P < 0.03) and showed a tendency towards a correlation with lipoprotein(a) (r = 0.23, P < 0.07). Triglycerides correlated with the Quetelet index (r = 0.27, P < 0.03), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (r = -0.41, P < 0.001), and factor VII (r = 0.35, P < 0.01), whereas serum cholesterol concentrations correlated with factor VII (r = 0.27, P < 0.04) and with fibrin monomers (r = 0.29, P < 0.03).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)