A CORRELATION BETWEEN HBA1C AND SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE LEVELS IN TYPE II DIABETES MELLITUS

Background. Oxidative stress plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of many diseases, one among which is Diabetes Mellitus. Increased free-radical generation, non-enzymatic protein glycosylation, auto-oxidation of glucose, alteration in antioxidant enzymes, are some of the proposed mechanisms of oxidative stress in diabetes which is implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic complications. All the above mechanisms are attributed to a single factor i.e. hyperglycemia. Poor glycemic control leads to increased generation of oxygen free radicals and decreased activity of antioxidant enzymes which ultimately causes cell damage. Considering the occurrence of oxidative stress in diabetes, the present investigation was done to find out the correlation between glycemic control using HbA1c levels as an indicator and antioxidant status using superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels as an index of oxidative stress. Materials and methods. 30 patients with type II diabetes mellitus in the age range of 40-60 years and 30 age and sex matched normal healthy subjects were enrolled for the study. After obtaining informed consent, fasting and postprandial plasma glucose, HbA1c and SOD levels were analysed in the blood samples of all the participants. Results. Diabetic patients had a significant higher HbA1c (p 0.00) levels and lower SOD (p 0.00) levels when compared to control subjects. Significant positive correlation (r 0.60, p 0.00) and negative correlation (r - 0.57, p 0.001) was obtained between duration of diabetes and HbA1c, SOD levels respectively in diabetics. Also a significant negative correlation (r - 0.75, p 0.00) was observed between HbA1c and SOD levels in diabetic patients. In diabetics with poor glycemic control, SOD levels were significantly (p 0.002) lower when compared to patients with good glycemic control. Conclusion. Decrease in SOD levels in diabetic patients suggests the presence of oxidative stress especially in patients with poor glycemic control. Glycemic control has a significant influence on antioxidant levels. Hence, good glycemic control prevents the development of oxidative stress which alleviates the long term complications of diabetes mellitus