Association of Serum Fetuin-A with Insulin Resistance in Type 2 Diabetic Patients

Background: Recently, epidemiological studies showed that serum fetuin-A was associated with insulin resistance and its co-morbidities, such as metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes. Aim of Work: This study was designed to evaluate the association between fetuin-A and insulin resistance among Egyptian diabetic patients. Subjects and Methods: The study included 100 Egyptian patients with impaired fasting glucose (IFG), impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and type-2 diabetes (62 females, 38 males) attending the outpatient clinics of NIDE and 50 normal controls. Blood pressure, body mass index, fasting and 2hr plasma glucose, HBA1c, lipid profile and serum fetuin-A were measured. Fundus examination, chest X-ray and ECG were performed for all subjects and echocardiography was done when indicated. Results: When we analyzed the results there was no significant difference as regard serum fetuin-A between males and females included in the study. There was a significant statistical difference as regard fetuin-A among studied subjects being higher in type 2 diabetic patients (m=335.31±62.63), than patients having impaired fasting glucose, impaired glucose tolerance or both (m=294.86±60.23), than normal controls (m=277.59±67.22) (p-value 0.05). Serum fetuin-A levels were significantly correlated with BMI (r=+0.49; p 0.01), triglycerides level (r=+0.41; p 0.01), fasting insulin level (r=+0.45; p 0.01) and HOMA (r=+0.39; p 0.01). Conclusions: The present study demonstrates the impact of fetuin-A on insulin resistance as there was a significant association between serum fetuin-A and insulin resistance in Egyptian diabetic patients. Fetuin-A could be a modulator of insulin resistance in humans.