ABSTRACT
Background Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder characterized by the cells' inefficient utilization of blood glucose. DM occurs in two types: type 1 DM (T1DM) and type 2 DM (T2DM). DM results in increased blood sugar levels attributed to the non-functioning of the insulin-producing islet cells of the pancreas (type 1 DM) and insulin resistance, among other causes. Despite the initiation of treatment, in some people, diabetes remains uncontrolled and, over some time, could cause damage to other organs of the body, including the eyes, heart, and kidneys, among others. Recently, it was observed that iron metabolism and increased activity of serum ferritin (hyperferritinemia) could influence the development of T2DM. This study aims to assess the activities of ferritin among controlled and uncontrolled T2DM patients and compare them with the control group who were non-diabetic. Methods The study included 30 controlled and uncontrolled T2DM patients and an equal number of controls. The study was conducted between September and October 2021, and all patients included were those attending the General Medicine outpatient department attached to the RVM Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre, Siddipet, Telangana, South India. Blood glucose activities were estimated by the glucose oxidase-peroxidase (GOD-POD) method using the Randox Daytona plus analyzer, and serum ferritin was measured by the chemiluminescence method using the Beckmann Coulter Access 2 instrument. Results The mean age of the cases and the controls was 56.5 years and 46.7 years, respectively. Serum ferritin activities among people with controlled diabetes (73.3±56.6 ng/ml) (p=0.0003) and uncontrolled diabetes (269.8±347.1 ng/ml) (p=0.0006) varied significantly as compared to the controls (40.853±15.55). Glucose activities among controls (82.9±7.4 mg/dl), controlled T2DM patients (120.9±28.6 mg/dl), and uncontrolled T2DM patients (316.06±145.41 mg/dl) also showed significant differences. Conclusion Hyperferritinemia is evident among uncontrolled T2DM patients. However, increased serum ferritin activities were also noted among controlled T2DM patients as compared to normal activities observed in the non-diabetic control group.
