Marcony Meetei Moirangthem1 , Vidyabati Devi Rajkumari2
BACKGROUND Diabetes is a metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycaemia which is associated with rise in the HbA1c. Type 2 DM has several causes and no single cause is adequate to explain the progression from normal glucose tolerance to diabetes. The percentage of HbA1c represents the average values of glucose over preceding 6 to 8 weeks. The HbA1c fraction is elevated in chronic diabetic patients and it correlates positively with the glycaemic control. Increased body iron stores are associated with the development of glucose intolerance, type 2 DM and insulin resistance syndrome. Excess iron damages β-cells of pancreas due to oxidative stress which can contribute the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus. Serum ferritin, an acute phase reactant a marker of iron stores in the body and its association with diabetes has been studied well recently. Plasma ferritin level is considered to be an indicator of body iron stores. This study was carried out to study the relationship of Serum Ferritin with Type 2 diabetes mellitus and to examine whether a correlation between S. ferritin and HbA1c exists. METHODS The study was conducted in the Department of Biochemistry in collaboration with the Department of Medicine (u), Jawaharlal Nehru institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) Imphal, Manipur, from September 2017 to August 2019. 270 type 2 diabetes subjects (M:F - 135:135, mean age 46.40 ± 9 years) were studied and compared with 30 controls (mean age 47.27 ± 11 years). Serum ferritin, HbA1c and fasting lipid profile were measured. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. Data were described using frequency, percentages and mean. RESULTS The mean serum ferritin level of the diabetic patients was significantly higher (p<0.013) than that of the controls. There was a positive correlation (rp = 0.036) between HbA1c and serum ferritin among diabetic patients. CONCLUSIONS There was a positive correlation between serum ferritin and HbA1c.
