Cystatin C Level in Prediabetic and Diabetic Patients

Objective: Cystatin C is a novel marker of kidney function.Serum Cystatin C has been shown to correlate with the progression of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes mellitus.The aim of this study was to evaluate cystatin C levels in diabetic and prediabetic patients and determine its association with anthropometric measurements and insulin resistance.Methods: Twenty-five patients with diabetes, 17 patients with pre-diabetes and 24 healthy controls were included in the study.Baseline fasting plasma glucose, postprandial glucose, HbA1c, fasting insulin, microalbuminuria, renal function tests, liver function tests, and lipid profile were estimated.Body mass index (BMI) was calculated.Results: Diabetic patients had higher body mass index (BMI) than controls (p=0.01).Serum cystatin C levels were similar between the three groups (p>0.05).Sex and/or smoking had no effect on cystatin levels.Higher cystatin C levels were negatively associated with microalbuminuria.Cystatin C levels were correlated with BMI and HOMA-IR in pre-diabetic patients (p=0.039 and p<0.05, respectively) but not in diabetic patients or controls, when adjusted for age and gender.Conclusion: Serum cystatin C levels are associated with BMI and insulin resistance in prediabetic patients.These results suggest that higher BMI levels are associated with high cystatin C levels, which is predictive of future risk of diabetes mellitus.