Inflammatory Markers in Pre-diabetes and Diabetes: A Comparative Study

ABSTRACT

Diabetes is a metabolic disorder associated with chronic inflammation. It is preceded by pre-diabetic phase that is also influenced with the inflammatory mechanisms which finally culminate into diabetes and its associated complications. Thus the main objective of this study was to assess the level of inflammatory mediators in pre-diabetic and diabetic patients. Methods: This case control study was conducted with 100 controls, 145 pre-diabetic patients and 126 diabetic patients in Santosh medical College and Hospital, Ghaziabad. Serum routine parameters like fasting glucose, HbA1c, lipid and inflammatory mediators like adiponectin, fibrinogen, IL-6, CRP and uric acid were estimated using kit based methods. Results: We observed significantly low adiponectin and significantly high CRP, IL-6, fibrinogen and uric acid in pre-diabetic and diabetic patients compared to controls. The level showed gradual decrease from control-prediabetic-diabetic groups in case of adiponectin while the trend was increasing in case of CRP, IL-6, fibrinogen and uric acid. We also found significant negative correlation of adiponectin with CRP, IL-6, fibrinogen and uric acid in both the patient groups but the correlation with uric acid in pre-diabetic patients was insignificant. Conclusion: These results reveal the involvement of inflammatory mechanisms in progression from normoglycemia to impaired fasting glucose and finally to hyperglycemia. Therefore the development of mechanisms that aid in reducing pro-inflammatory and alleviating ntiinflammatory mediators may be fruitful in reducing diabetes risks.