Relationship between sialic acid and microvascular complications in type 2 diabetes mellitus

ABSTRACT

Serum total sialic acid is a marker of acute phase response. Elevated levels have also been associated with several risk factors for diabetic vascular disease. The objective of the study was to find out a relationship between sialic acid and metabolic variables in type 2 diabetic patients with and without microvascular complications. This study included 200 subjects of whom 50 were of diabetes mellitus with nephropathy, 50 patients of type 2 diabetes mellitus with retinopathy, 50 patients of type 2 diabetes without any complication and 50 healthy individuals without diabetes mellitus [control subjects]. The subjects aged 15 - 60 years were selected for study. Fasting venous blood samples were taken from all the 200 subjects. Simultaneously urine sample were also collected from each of them. All blood samples were analysed for fasting and postprandial glucose, total cholesterol, triglyceride [TG], low density lipoprotein [LDL], high density lipoprotein [HDL], creatinine, HbAIc on fully automated analyser. Serum and urine sialic acid along with microalbumin levels were also estimated. Serum total sialic acid concentrations were significantly higher among all diabetic subjects with or without complications compared to control subjects. In diabetic patients there was a significantly increasing trend of serum and urinary sialic acid with severity f nephropathy [p < 0.001] and with the degree of urinary albumin excretion [p < 0.001]. Elevated serum sialic acid concentrations were also associated with severel risk factors. The main finding of this study is that elevated serum and urinary sialic acid and microalbumin concentration were strongly related to the presence of microvascular complications like diabetic nephropathy and retinopathy and cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetic patients