Diabetes and Hypertension: Correlation Between Glycosylated Hemoglobin (HbA1c) and Serum Nitric Oxide

Diabetes mellitus and hypertension frequently coexist. Formation of HbA1c and serum NO have recently documented as disease markers for diabetes and hypertension respectively. This study was aimed to find the correlation between HbA1c and NO anomalies in coexisted diabetes and hypertension. A total of 100 diabetic patients were selected and divided into diabetic normotensive and diabetic hypertensive patients. Equal number of age and sex matched normal individuals were selected as control. The demography of the patients was done at routine. Their fasting blood glucose, urea, creatinine and serum NO levels were measured by spectrophotometer. The HbA1c was measured by fast ion exchange resin separation method. Parameters were correlated by modern statistical methods. Fasting blood glucose and HbA1c levels were significantly high (p<0.01) where as serum NO level was significantly low (p<0.01) in diabetic normotensive and diabetic hypertensive patients as compared to control. A significant negative correlation (p<0.01) was found when serum nitric oxide was correlated with serum glucose and HbA1c levels in diabetic normotensive and diabetic hypertensive patients. These findings suggest that the constellation of disturbed glycemic control and formation of advanced glycosylation end products like HbA1c critically contribute to anomalies of NO metabolism or vice versa and may help to explain frequent clinical coexistence of diabetes and hypertension.