Endocrine Abstracts

Objective: Fetuin-A, which is a blood protein produced by liver and promotes bone mineralization, is an independent risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Whether Fetuin-A levels relate to the bone metabolism in type 2 diabetic patients is still not clear. Our study aimed to evaluate the relationship of fetuin-A to the markers of bone metabolism and bone turnover in male and female type 2 diabetic patients.

Participants and methods: Eighty type 2 diabetic patients, 40 males and 40 post-menopausal females (matched for age, body mass index (BMI) and duration of diabetes) were studied. Fetuin-A (using commercially available ELISA test) together with metabolic, bone, lipid, renal, and liver function parameters and sex hormones were measured in all participants.

Results: Levels of Fetuin-A did not differ significantly between male and female diabetic patients. Fetuin-A correlated significantly negatively with blood levels of C-telopeptide (r=−0.33, P<0.04) and positive with estradiol (r=0.44, P<0.009) among female group. In males, a significant positive correlation was observed between fetuin-A and the blood levels of bone alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (r=0.33, P<0.03). Controlling for age, BMI, fatty liver index (FLI), blood protein, albumin, calcium, gamma glutamyl-transferase (GGT) and C-reactive protein (CRP) did not alter the significance of these correlations.

Conclusions: Our results suggest significant correlations of fetuin-A levels with markers of bone turnover and bone metabolism in type 2 diabetic patients independent of age and BMI. More studies are needed to determine whether fetuin-A levels could indicate or predict risk of osteoporosis among them.