JOINT assessment of biomarkers, rather than assessing these individually, has been shown to improve the risk prediction of Type 2 diabetes (T2D). An investigation from Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Australia, has studied the connection between systematic inflammation and T2D. This was assessed by joint cumulative high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP), alongside monocyte to high-density lipoprotein ratio (MHR).
40,800 non-diabetic participants were followed in this study, with over 4,800 developing diabetes over the 10-year study period. The researchers noted significant interaction between MHR and CRP in patients presenting with T2D. On top of this, the study demonstrated that females had a greater risk of T2D, and the investigators suggested that sex hormones could account for this disparity. Dan Wu, Edith Cowan University, who led this research, stated: “The association between chronic inflammation and incident diabetes was highly age- and sex-specific and influenced by hypertension, high cholesterol, or prediabetes.” She went on to confirm that “the addition of the MHR and CRP to the clinical risk model significantly improved the prediction of incident diabetes.”
Following these results, the involvement of chronic inflammation in causing early-onset diabetes has been corroborated. Wu explained: “Leveraging this age-specific association between chronic inflammation and T2D may be a promising method for achieving early identification of at-risk young adults and developing personalised interventions,” to hint at future consequences of this work. The progressive nature of diabetes, and the burden of comorbidities, further highlight the need to address this health issue. Promising news from this investigation includes the cost effectiveness and wide availability of cumulative MHR and CRP in current clinics, allowing for widespread use of these measures as a prediction tool.
