Summary:
Background: Iron overload has been implicated in the
etiopathogenesis of diabetes mellitus, but limitations of the
existing markers and involvement of confounding variables
have made it difficult to ascertain its precise role in diabetes.
Investigation in prediabetic states (Impaired Fasting
Glucose or IFG, Impaired Glucose Tolerance or IGT, and
combined IFG & IGT or IFG-IGT) may help to clarify the
causal relationship between iron overload and diabetes.
Objectives: The present study was undertaken to explore
the body iron status in prediabetic subjects. With the above
objective a group of nine IFG, twenty four IGT and twelve
combined IFG-IGT subjects were studied along with a group
of nineteen healthy controls subjects, matched by Age and
BMI were included in the study.
Methodology: Serum fasting glucose was measured by
glucose-oxidase method and lipid profile was measured by
enzymatic-colorimetric method. Insulin secretory capacity
(HOMA B %) and insulin sensitivity (HOMA S %) were
analyzed by Homeostasis Model Assessment. Serum ferritin
was measured by chemiluminescence-based ELISA
technique.
Results: Age and BMI were matched among the study
subjects. Systolic blood pressure (Mean±SD) among
control, IFG, IGT and IFG-IGT subjects were 113±7,
122±22, 123±24 and 122±22 respectively. Systolic blood
pressures of IGT subjects were significantly higher (p=0.05)