Serum chemerin and high-sensitivity C reactive protein as markers of subclinical atherosclerosis in Egyptian patients with type 2 diabetes.

CONTEXT: Chemerin is one of the adipokines that regulate fat metabolism. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) may be considered as a cardiovascular risk predictor. Measuring intima-media thickness of the CCA (C-IMT) is a well-evidenced tool for the detection of early stages of atherosclerosis. We aimed here to study both serum chemerin and hs-CRP as markers of subclinical atherosclerosis in Egyptian patients with type 2 diabetes, who are angiographically free of coronary artery disease (CAD).

SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 180 subjects divided into two groups: Group A included 90 type 2 diabetic patients without CAD and group B including 90 nondiabetic control subjects. All study subjects were having normal coronary angiography. Serum chemerin, homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), lipid profile, hs-CRP as well as C-IMT were assessed in all study subjects.

RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference between the 2 groups regarding serum chemerin level, HOMA-IR, hs-CRP and C-IMT; being higher in the diabetic patients than in the control group (p = 0.006, 0.024, 0.040 and <0.001, respectively). There was positive correlation between serum chemerin level and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), HOMA-IR, hs-CRP and C-IMT. Carotid intima-media thickness was positively correlated with patients' WHR, blood pressure, HbA1c, diabetes duration as well as hs-CRP, and negatively correlated with ankle-brachial index (ABI). Linear regression analysis showed that HbA1c, serum chemerin and hs-CRP were independently affecting C-IMT. Serum hs-CRP was positively correlated with HbA1c and HOMA-IR (p = 0.006 and 0.032, respectively), and negatively correlated with HDL-cholesterol level (p = 0.018).

CONCLUSION: Both serum chemerin and hs-CRP could be considered as markers of subclinical atherosclerosis, and hence, may be utilized for the early detection of macrovascular disease, in Egyptian patients with type 2 diabetes.