The Main Determinants of Serum Resistin Level in Type 2 Diabetic Patients are Renal Function and Inflammation not Presence of Microvascular Complication, Obesity and Insulin Resistance

Aim The association of increased resistin levels in chronic kidney disease with diabetic nephropathy has not yet been clarified. Our aim was to analyze the relationship between serum resistin levels and various diabetic microvascular complications in patients. Methods A total of 83 patients were enrolled in this crosss-ectional study. The subjects were divided into 3 groups: 27 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) having no diabetic retinopathy (DRP) or microalbuminuria and having normal renal function were included in Group-1, 28 patients with T2DM having DRP and normal renal function in Group-2, and 28 patients with T2DM with DRP and microalbuminuria and an estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) of < 60 ml/min/1.73 m(2) in Group-3. Serum resistin levels were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results The mean age of the patients [46 female (55.4 %)] was 54.8 +/- 9.1 years. The resistin level in Group-3 was significantly higher than in Group-1 and Group-2 (p<0.001).However the resistin level was not different between Group-1 (without microvascular complications) and Group-2 (with microvascular complications). The resistin level was found to be correlated negatively with eGFR (r= - 0.459; p < 0.001) and albumin (r= - 0.402; p < 0.001), and positively with high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) (r = 0.366; p = 0.001). In multivariate analysis, it was observed that eGFR and hs-CRP were independent determinants of plasma resistin level. Conclusion The main determinants of resistin level in patients with T2DM are the level of renal function and inflammation rather than presence of microvascular complications, obesity and insulin resistance.