Blood test may be able to determine diabetes risk

A blood test could be used to assess a patient’s risk of type 2 diabetes, new research from Edith Cowan University (ECU) has found.

The currently most commonly used inflammatory biomarker to predict type 2 diabetes risk is high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP). However, new research suggests that assessing biomarkers jointly, rather than individually, increases the likelihood of predicting diabetes risk and diabetic complications.

Investigation by ECU Researcher Dan Wu We investigated the relationship between systematic inflammation, assessed by joint cumulative high-sensitivity CRP and another biomarker called monocyte-to-high-density lipoprotein ratio (MHR), and the development of type 2 diabetes.

The study followed more than 40,800 non-diabetic participants for about 10 years, more than 4,800 of whom developed diabetes during this period. Wu said that a significant interaction between MHR and CRP was observed in patients presenting with type 2 diabetes.

“Specifically, increased MHR in each CRP stratum increased the risk of type 2 diabetes. Simultaneous increases in MHR and CRP significantly increased the incidence and risk of diabetes.

“Furthermore, the association between chronic inflammation (reflected by joint cumulative MHR and CRP exposure) and incident diabetes is highly age- and gender-specific and influenced by hypertension, high cholesterol, or prediabetes. “Clinical risk models have significantly improved the prediction of diabetes development,” Wu said.

Women are most at risk

The study found that women were at higher risk for type 2 diabetes due to joint increases in CRP and MHR, and Wu said sex hormones could explain these differences.

Dr. Wu said the findings support the role of chronic inflammation in the pathogenesis of early-onset diabetes and deserve special attention.

“Epidemiological evidence shows that juvenile diabetes is consistently increasing, especially in developing countries. Exploiting the age-specific association between chronic inflammation and type 2 diabetes could help reduce risk. “This could be a promising way to identify young adults early and develop personalized interventions,” she added.

Wu noted that the chronic progressive nature of diabetes and the subsequent high burden of comorbidities further highlights the need to urgently address this serious health problem.

Aging and genetics are unmodifiable risk factors, but other risk factors can be modified through lifestyle changes. Inflammation is strongly influenced by lifestyle activities and metabolic conditions, such as diet, sleep disturbances, chronic stress, and glucose and cholesterol dysregulation, demonstrating the potential benefit of monitoring risk-related metabolic conditions. .

Wu believes that the dual advantages of cost-effectiveness and the widespread availability of cumulative MHR and CRP in current clinical practice raise the possibility that these measurements will be widely used as useful tools to predict diabetes risk. He said there is.

read the research, It was published in BMC’s Journal of Translational Medicine.