Iron Profile in Patients with Type II Diabetes Mellitus in — A study in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Abstract

Background: The most prevalent metabolic condition, type 2 diabetes mellitus, is characterized by persistent hyperglycemia caused by abnormalities in insulin production, insulin action, or both. Iron, a transitional metal, has been demonstrated to play a key role in the pathophysiology of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, with a bidirectional link in which iron influences glucose metabolism, which in turn influences the iron metabolic pathways. The current study aimed to estimate the iron profile in Type 2 diabetes mellitus cases. Methods: This cross-sectional study was done in the Department of Biochemistry, Prathima Institute of Medical Sciences, Naganoor, Karimnagar. A total of n=100 cases of type II diabetes mellitus were included in the study and age and sex-matched healthy controls were also included in the study. Laboratory investigations included Fasting Blood glucose, Serum ferritin, Total iron-binding capacity, serum iron, and serum transferrin saturation. Results: The fasting blood glucose was found to be significantly higher in the diabetes mellitus cases. The serum ferritin mean values were 105.32 µgm/dl. In the controls, the range of ferritin levels was 145 µgm/dl. The serum ferritin levels were found to be significantly reduced in the study cases as compared to the controls. Similarly, the total iron-binding capacity (TIBC) of the cases was found to be significantly increased as compared to the controls. The serum transferrin levels were also found to be elevated in the study cases as compared to the controls. Conclusion: Iron is closely related to the development of diabetes mellitus. Elevated iron and ferritin levels are risk factors for diabetes and can lead to a variety of problems. Conversely in chronic diabetics, there is a tendency to develop iron deficiency anemia and other nutritional deficiency anemias as observed by the results of the current study. As a result, iron profile evaluation can be a valuable output of the expected investigations on diabetes and related problems.