Endocrine Abstracts

Objective: To determine whether relationship between trace element levels and microvascular complications of type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM).

Methods: One hundred eighteen patients with type 2 DM (mean age: 56±6.2 years) and 40 control subjects (mean age: 40.0±8.8 years) were included in the study. Group 1 (n=40 patients) was composed of patients with no had microvascular complications and it divided into two subgroup, first subgroup (n=20) included patients with glysemic regulation, the second subgroup (n=20) with not glysemic regulation. Group 2 included 38 patients with diabetic retinopathy (19 patients had proliferative retinopathy, 19 patients had nonproliferative retinopathy). Group 3 included 40 patients with both diabetic retinopathy and nephropathy (20 patients had microalbuminuri, 20 patients had macroalbuminuri). Patients with type 2 DM who had liver disease, renal disease, malabsorbtive disease and who had been taken any diuretic drugs were excluded. Trace elements including Crom (Cr)(μg/l), Copper (Cu)(μg/l), Zinc (Zn)(μg/l) were measured by Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass spectrophotometry (ICP-MS). And, Iron (Fe)(μg/dl) was measured by ELISA.

Results: Difference of age was only found between control subject and all patients with DM (P<0.001). Mean age were found not difference between in Group 1,2,3 (P=0.24, P=0.22, P=0.26). Magnesium, Fe, Zn, Cr levels were lower in all diabetic patients than control healthy subjects (P<0.001, P=0.039, P=0.001, P<0.001). Crom levels were found lower in patients with both only diabetic retinopathy and only diabetic nephropathy than patients with not any microvascular complications (P<0.01, for both). Also, Cr levels were found lesser in patients with only diabetic nephropathy than in only with diabetic retinopathy (P<0.01).

Conclusions: The study indicated that an association between low Crom levels and existence of microvascular complications of DM when trace element levels were measured by ICP-MS.