Prevalence of Inflammatory Markers (High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein, Nuclear Factor-κB, and Adiponectin) in Indian Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus with and without Macrovascular Complications

Background: Atherosclerosis is more prevalent in subjects with diabetes mellitus. Recent evidence suggests that diabetic atherosclerosis is not simply a disease of hyperlipidemia, but is also an inflammatory disorder. Our aim was to study the prevalence of inflammatory markers such as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), adiponectin, and nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B) expression, in peripheral blood mononuclear cells in Indian patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with and without macrovascular disease (MVD). Methods: A total of 29 consecutive cases of T2DM with proven MVD (group A), 28 matched cases without MVD (group B), and 14 healthy controls (group C) were evaluated for the clinical parameters fasting blood glucose (FBG), 2-h postprandial blood glucose (PPBG), glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), lipid profile, and the above-mentioned inflammatory markers. Results: Diabetic subjects with T2DM had higher hsCRP and NF-kappa B expression and lower values of adiponectin compared to healthy controls. Group A had significantly higher serum hsCRP than group B (P = 0.0001) despite comparable values of BMI, FBG, 2-h PPBG, HbA1c, and lipid parameters. Group A had significantly higher serum hsCRP and NF-kappa B expression and significantly lower levels of adiponectin than group C (P = 0.0001, 0.007, and 0.02, respectively). In Group A, serum adiponectin negatively correlated with NF-kappa B expression. In Group B, adiponectin values correlated negatively with both FBG and 2-h PPBG. Conclusions: Indian subjects with T2DM with or without MVD had higher hsCRP and lower adiponectin values as compared to healthy controls, whereas hsCRP was significantly higher in those with MVD, suggesting that our patients with T2DM were in a proinflammatory state.