Original Research Is Serum Ferritin Associated With Type II Diabetes Mellitus: A Clinical Study In A Representative Indian Population 1 2 3 4 Pankaj Bansal, Puja Bansal, Akshay Raizada, H.M. Kansal 1 MD (Medicine), Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, School of Medical Sciences & Research, Sharda University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India 2 MDS (Oral Pathology), Reader, Department of Oral Pathology, School of Dental Sciences, Sharda University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India 3 MD, MPH, Deptt. of Internal Medicine, Kaiser Permanente San Francisco Medical Center, SFO, US 4 MD (TB Chest), Assistant Professor, Department of TB Chest, School of Medical Sciences & Research, Sharda University, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India Serum Ferritin and Type II Diabetes Mellitus Bansal P, et al. 20 Objective: Present studies on the relationship between iron stores and diabetes are mainly done in Western countries. Few studies have been done in Asian populations, with minimal data from the Indian subcontinent. Our purpose was to investigate relationship between serum ferritin & type II diabetes mellitus in a representative Indian population. Patients & Method: The study involved 200 Indian male type II diabetes mellitus patients, aged 35-65 years and age & sex matched 200 healthy controls. All study subjects were evaluated for blood sugar levels & serum ferritin. Results: Serum ferritin values were significantly increased in type II diabetic patients compared to the control group 185 ± 3.5 ng/ml & 113 ± 4.6 ng/ml, respectively, p < 0.001. Conclusion: This study shows a significant association between serum ferritin levels and type II diabetes mellitus in a representative population. Further studies involving a larger sample size are required to investigate the pathophysiological mechanism and consequences of increased serum ferritin levels in these patients. Keywords: serum ferritin, diabetes mellitus, blood sugar, iron overload To cite this article: J Med Sci Research. 2011;2(1):20-24. Mean age for diabetes patients was 45.70 ± 1.6 years, while that for control group was 44.32 ± 3.9 years. ( Abstract Introduction Iron is a transition metal that can easily become oxidized and thus act as an oxidant. The general effect of catalytic iron is to convert poorly reactive free radicals, such as H O , into 2 2 highly reactive ones, such as the hydroxyl radical. Increased accumulation of iron affects insulin synthesis and secretion in the pancreas and interferes with the insulin-extracting capacity of the liver. Iron deposition in muscle decreases glucose uptake because of muscle damage. Conversely, insulin stimulates cellular iron uptake through increased transferring receptor externalization. Thus, insulin and iron can mutually potentiate their effects, leading, after a vicious 1 cycle, to insulin resistance and diabetes. Overall, data concerning the prevalence of potentially relevant iron overload in subjects selected for having metabolic syndrome are scanty. Present studies on the relationship between iron stores and diabetes are mainly done in Western countries. Few studies have been done in Asian populations, with minimal data from the Indian subcontinent. Our purpose was to investigate relationship between serum ferritin (SF) & type II diabetes mellitus www.jmsr.co.in (T2DM) in a representative Indian population, with an attempt to enhance the available knowledge in this field. Patients & Method The study was conducted in Sharda Hospital, Greater Noida, from Feb 2010 to Jan 2011. We included 200 North Indian male diabetic patients, aged 35-65 years and age & sex matched 200 healthy controls. Detailed medical history of all participants were recorded in case history proformas. Informed written consent was obtained from all the participants. Exclusion criteria included the following: 1) clinically significant hepatic, neurological, endocrinologic, or other major systemic disease, including malignancy; 2) history or current clinical evidence of hemochromatosis; 3) history of drug or alcohol abuse; 4) an elevated serum creatinine concentration; 5) acute major cardiovascular event in the previous 6 months; 6) acute illnesses and current evidence of acute or chronic inflammatory or infective diseases; 7) transfusion history or iron or vitamin therapies in the previous year; 8) history of disturbances in iron balance (e.g., Journal of Medical Science & Research * 2011 * Vol. 2 * No. 1