Diabetes, Metabolic Syndrome and Obesity (Sep 2023)
Correlation Between Fibrinogen/Albumin and Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy
Abstract
Jiangli Ban,1,2 Xiaoyu Pan,2,3 Liqun Yang,2 Zhuoya Jia,2,3 Ruoxi Zhen,2,3 Xueqing Zhang,2,4 Shuchun Chen2,3 1Graduate School of Hebei North University, Zhangjiakou, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Endocrinology, Hebei General Hospital, Shijiazhuang, People’s Republic of China; 3Graduate School of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, People’s Republic of China; 4Graduate School of North China University of Science and Technology, Tangshan, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Shuchun Chen, Department of Endocrinology, Hebei General Hospital, 348 Heping West Road, Shijiazhuang, 050051, People’s Republic of China, Tel/Fax +86 31185988406, Email [email protected]: This study aimed to examine the correlation between fibrinogen/albumin (FAR) and diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN).Patients and Methods: A total of 342 patients were included and categorized into either the DPN group or the Non-DPN (NDPN) group based on their DPN status. The FAR index was determined by calculating the ratio of fibrinogen (FIB) to serum albumin (ALB), multiplied by 100. The participants were then divided into a High-FAR group and a Low-FAR group using the median FAR value as the threshold. Neurophysiological data were collected from the participants, which included motor conduction velocity (MCV) and sensory conduction velocity (SCV).Results: The DPN group displayed higher FAR levels [(DPN vs NDPN:6.72 (5.89,7.74) vs 5.94± 1.14], in addition to slower SCV and MCV data compared to the NDPN group. The high FAR group had a higher prevalence of DPN (78.9% vs 55.6%) (P< 0.05). There was a negative correlation between FAR and NCV, including bilateral median nerve SCV, left ulnar nerve SCV, bilateral median nerve MCV, bilateral common peroneal nerve MCV, bilateral tibial nerve MCV, and left ulnar nerve MCV. FAR was revealed to be an independent risk factor for the development of DPN in patients and demonstrated a greater predictive value for DPN development in Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) compared with FIB, HbA1c.Conclusion: The results suggest that monitoring FAR levels in patients with T2DM could identify those at higher risk for developing DPN, making the FAR index a valuable predictor of DPN development. Furthermore, since FAR has an inverse relationship with NCV, it stands to reason that high FAR levels may indicate nerve damage and slower conduction velocities. Thus, managing FAR could prove beneficial in both preventing and delaying the onset of DPN in T2DM patients.Keywords: type 2 diabetes mellitus, diabetic peripheral neuropathy, fibrinogen/albumin
