Fasting serum soluble CD 163 predicts risk of type 2 diabetes in individuals with the metabolic syndrome

Abstract

Background: Activation of adipose tissue macrophages with concomitant low-grade inflammation is believed to play a central role in the evolution of type 2 diabetes.
Aim: To assess whether a new macrophage-derived biomarker, soluble CD163, identifies at-risk individuals with metabolic syndrome before overt disease develops.
Methods: A prospective study of 72 subjects with metabolic syndrome and without overt type 2 diabetes was done from 2006 - 2011 for incidence of type 2 diabetes. Risk of diabetes was categorized according to age, gender and level of soluble CD163. Statistical analysis system (SAS) 9.2 for windows was used to analyze data.
Results: A total of  9(30%) of  the subjects in the age bracket of 20-40 years and 16(38.1%) of  the subjects in the age bracket of 41-60 years and who had high fasting serum soluble CD163 levels (> 1.5mg/L) developed diabetes in 5 years of follow-up. More females [7 (23.3%)] as against 2 (6.7%) males in the 20-40 years age bracket and 11 (26.2%) females as against 5 (11.9%) males in the 41-60 years age bracket progressed to overt type 2 diabetes within the 5 years period.
Conclusion: Increased concentrations of soluble CD163 in individuals with metabolic syndrome predict increased risk of type 2 diabetes and may be a useful marker for identification of high risk metabolic syndrome individuals.


Keywords: Soluble CD163, Type 2 diabetes mellitus, Metabolic syndrome