Evaluation of serum ferritin and some metal elements in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients: comparative cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND The chronic hyperglycemia of diabetes has been associated with an imbalance of some trace metal elements in the blood sample of type 2 diabetes patients. AIM To evaluate the status of serum ferritin and some selected metal elements among type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. METHODS Facility-based comparative cross-sectional study was conducted from February 15, 2015 to October 30, 2015, at Jimma University Specialized Hospital, Ethiopia. A total of 428 type 2 diabetes and nondiabetes study subjects were recruited to the study. After overnight fasting, 10 mL of venous blood samples were taken for biochemical and trace metal element analysis. Data were entered into EpiData version 3.5.1 and exported to SPSS version 20 for Windows for analysis. RESULTS Serum concentration of Zn+2, Mg+2, Cr+3, ferritin, and Fe+3 in patients with type 2 diabetes was significantly lower (p<0.0001) than nondiabetes patients. In contrast, serum Cu+2 was significantly higher (p<0.0001) in type 2 diabetes patients than nondiabetics. In addition, significant differences were not seen in both groups with regard to serum Mn+2, Ca+2, and Po4-3. Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), serum Fe+3, ferritin, and Mn+2 were significantly higher among oral hypoglycemic agent users of type 2 diabetes patients than the injectable insulin users. Serum Zn+2 had significant positive correlation with serum Mg+2 (r=0.738), Cr+3 (r=0.233), Ca+2 (r=0.238), and Po4-3 (r=0.222). In addition, serum Zn+2 had shown significant and negative correlation with body mass index (BMI, r=-0.331), WHR (r=-0.340), and fasting blood glucose (FBG, r=-0.186). Likewise, serum Mg+2 and Po4-3 are significantly and negatively correlated with BMI, WHR, and FBG. CONCLUSION The imbalance of trace metal elements in the blood sample of diabetes is uncertain. Thus, we recommend a prospective cohort study to find out the principal factors behind the problem.