Iron Status in Type 2 Diabetes Patients With and Without Metabolic Syndrome

Abstract

Elevated serum ferritin concentrations have recently been implicated in the pathogenesis of the metabolic syndrome (MetS). The present study aimed to investigate the iron status in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with and without MetS. Serum ferritin levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunoassay, while serum iron was measured using a test kit, and hemoglobin or red cell indices were determined by a hematology analyzer. Serum ferritin levels of T2DM were significantly higher in those with MetS (n = 28) than those without MetS (n = 29) (132.97 ± 103.03 ng/ml vs 34.62 ± 15.30 ng/ml; P < 0.001). Hemoglobin concentration (Hb), total iron binding capacity (TIBC), total red blood cell count, mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) were not significantly different between the two groups, although values were in the lower normal range. Serum ferritin levels were inversely correlated with TIBC (r = -0.49, P < 0.01), MCV (r = -0.41, P < 0.05), MCH (r = -0.5, P < 0.01) and MCHC (r = -0.46, P < 0.05) only in those with MetS. Our data supported the link between iron status and MetS in T2DM. It is speculated that changes in iron status might be related to inflammation associated with metabolic syndrome in diabetes.