Ferric status as a biochemical indicator associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Background: Epidemiological studies have shown that Diabetes Mellitus is an cronic inflammatory condition. The increased iron stores are associated with increased free radical formation, which contributes to the glucose intolerance and consequently diabetes type 2. The objective of this study was to evaluate the parameters of the ferric status in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: The study group consisted of 100 blood samples (50 males and 50 females) of healthy individuals and 69 blood samples (28 males and 41 females) from individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus. All samples were screened for the possibility of presenting any condition that could interfere in the determination of ferric status parameters. Results: The results show that the mean serum ferritin concentration in the diabetic group is higher than the control group mean when treated without distinction of sex (228.06 mg/mL × 126.26 mg/mL) and with in relation to the sex (200.96 mg/mL × 122.79 mg/mL for females and 267.84 mg/mL × 129.73 mg/mL for males) demonstrating a statistically significant difference between the two study groups (p <0.001). The statistical test also showed that SFe (Serum Ferric), TIBC (Total Iron Binding Capacity) and TSI (Transferrin Saturation Index) presented significant difference between the control and diabetic groups [without gender distinction (p <0.001)] and with respect to this parameter, [significant difference in relation to the female sex (p <0.001)]. Conclusions: The results showed that elevated iron stores are more common in diabetic patients suggesting that there is a positive correlation between the excess of organic iron and predisposition to develop type 2 diabetes and/or possibly its complications. Individuals with hereditary hemochromatosis (excess iron in the body) naturally develop diabetes, from which arose the need to investigate iron metabolism as a conditioner for metabolic syndrome or diabetes. In this study, was possible to observe a positive correlation between the iron stock measured by serum ferritin concentration and type 2 diabetes mellitus. The concentration of ferritin is still associated with components considered as a cardiovascular risk factor such as elevated glucose concentration (pre-diabetes and diabetes), LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and HDL cholesterol.