Serum leptin level and microvascular complications in type 2 diabetes

Background. Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and its complications are highly prevalent in Egypt and are considered a major health problem. Insulin resistance arising from visceral obesity is the main pathological mechanism of T2DM. Leptin is an adipokine secreted from visceral adipose tissue and its level is proved to be higher in patients with T2DM, but its association with microvascular complications is not yet well-established, for this aim the present study was conducted. Methods. This cross-sectional study was conducted among 120 participants with T2DM recruited from the diabetes outpatient clinic of Alexandria Main University Hospital, Alexandria, Egypt. Each participant was subjected to full history taking, complete physical examination and laboratory investigations. Results. Serum leptin level was significantly positively correlated with diabetes duration, BMI, WC, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, FPG, HbA(1c), serum insulin level, HOMA-IR, total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL-C. Regarding microvascular complications, serum leptin level was highly significantly positively correlated with UACR, peripheral neuropathy and retinopathy (P < 0.001) and significantly negatively correlated with e-GFR (P = 0.003). Conclusions. Serum leptin level is significantly correlated with microvascular complications in patients with T2DM in Alexandria, Egypt.