Abstract

diabetic nephropathy and macro- vascular complications. Thus it is possible to conBACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes is associated with increased blood concentrations of acute phase reactants including; sialic acid, ai-acid glycoprotein, serum amyloid A, and the main cytokine mediator of acute phase response, interleukin-6. Through the action of cytokines on many tissues, acute phase response could be a major contributor of biochemical and clinical features of metabolic syndrome X and type 2 DM. We investigated whether sialic acid, CRP, and TNF-a levels were elevated in type 2 diabetic patients who had features of syndrome X and whether they were correlated with diabetic vascular complications. METHODS: Group 1 was type 2 diabetic patients with any of 4 or 5 features of syndrome X (n=24). Group 2 was type 2 diabetic patients with 0 or 1 features of syndrome X (n=29), and group 3 was healthy nondiabetic control subjects (n=19). We compared the levels of sialic acid, CRP, and TNF-a in group 1, 2 and 3. We also observed the relationship between sialic acid, CRP, TNF-a levels and diabetic micro, macrovascular complications and studied the correlation between these markers and components of syndrome X. RESULTS: Group 1 had significantly higher sialic acid levels than group 2 (68.3+19 vs. 59.9+9.7 mg/dL, p=0.047). But the CRP, and TNF-a levels were similar in three groups. Serum sialic acid levels were signifieantly higher in proteinuria group than in normo- and microalbuminuria groups (81+27.6 vs. 59.9+7.1, 61.2+7.9 mg/dL, p=0.001, 0.005). Serum CRP levels were also higher in proteinuria groups (32.9+59.8 vs. 6.4+1.9, 6.0+3.1mg/L, p=0.017, p=0.037). Serum sialic acid levels were significantly higher in the macrovascular complication group (70.5 +21.3 vs. 60.5+ 6.8 mg/dL, p=0.015). Levels of sialic acid were correlated with urinary albumin excretion rate, log triglyceride, CRP, and fasting C-peptide. Levels of CRP were correlated with sialic acid and fasting C-peptide. CONCLUSION: Serum sialic acid levels were significantly elevated in type 2 diabetic patients who had features of syndrome X, and were also elevated in patients with sider that the mechanisms involved in the acute phase response can contribute to the pathophysiology of type 2 diabetes and syndrome X. Vascular complications do further increase stress reactions in type 2 diabetes.

• Keywords: Key Words;Acute phase reactant;Type 2 DM;Syndrome X;