The Egyptian Journal of Internal Medicine (Jan 2018)

Association of serum ferritin with insulin resistance in offsprings of type 2 diabetics

  • Usama A Khalil,
  • Fayroz O Seliem,
  • Alsayed Alnahal,
  • Mohamed Awad,
  • Ayman M.E.M Sadek,
  • Mohamed S Fawzy

DOI
https://doi.org/10.4103/ejim.ejim_70_17
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 30, no. 1
pp. 13 – 17

Abstract

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Context Type 2 diabetes is prevalent worldwide, and insulin resistance (IR) is considered the main player in its pathogenesis. Previous studies suggested a link between iron and IR. Aim The aim was to study serum ferritin level in nondiabetic offsprings, with and without impaired glucose tolerance, of diabetic patients and its relation to IR. Settings and design This is a cross-sectional case–control study carried out in the Internal Medicine Department, Zagazig University Hospitals. Patients and methods A total of 25 completely healthy individuals as a control group and 50 offsprings of patients with type 2 diabetes as a case group were included in the study. The case group was further divided into normal and impaired glucose tolerant offspring subgroups after glucose tolerance test. All of them underwent thorough clinical examination; routine laboratory investigation including complete blood count, liver and kidney function tests, fasting and postprandial blood glucose, serum ferritin, and fasting insulin by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; calculation of BMI; and homeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Statistical package for the social sciences for windows (version 16) was used for statistical analysis. Results Significant increase in mean±SD of serum ferritin, fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, and fasting and postprandial blood glucose levels in impaired glucose tolerant offspring subgroup was observed as compared with both control group and normal glucose tolerant offspring subgroup. Significant positive correlation was found between serum ferritin versus each of BMI, fasting insulin, fasting, postprandial blood glucose, and HOMA-IR in impaired glucose tolerant offspring subgroup. Conclusion Elevated serum ferritin levels in nondiabetic offsprings with impaired glucose tolerance may play a role in the pathogenesis of IR state, which may progress to type 2 diabetes.

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