Ischemia modified albumin among type 2 diabetic patients visiting a tertiary care center of Kathmandu

Background: Chronic hyperglycemia in diabetes may increase oxidative stress causing ischemia and long-term complications of diabetes. It may also alter albumin, increasing the concentration of serum ischemia modified albumin. The present study was conducted to estimate serum isch­emia modified albumin level and to assess its relationship with parameters of glycemic control in diabetic patients. Methods: In this study, 130 type 2 diabetic patients were enrolled and blood samples were ana­lyzed for ischemia modified albumin, glycated hemoglobin, fasting and postprandial blood glu­cose. Parameters of glycemic control were estimated using routine standard methods and serum ischemia modified albumin was measured manually by spectrophotometric cobalt-albumin bind­ing assay. Participants with glycated hemoglobin level less than 7% were labeled as group 1 and participants with glycated hemoglobin value more than or equal to 7% were labeled as group 2. Results: Group 2 participants had significantly higher mean serum ischemia modified albumin as compared to group 1 (p<0.001). There was significant positive correlation between ischemia modi­fied albumin and parameters of glycemic control; glycated hemoglobin (r=0.300, p=0.001), fasting blood glucose (r=0.239, p=0.006), postprandial blood glucose (r=0.318, p<0.001). However the relationship of ischemia modified albumin with age, body mass index and duration of diabetes were statistically insignificant. Conclusions: The present study shows increase in serum ischemia modified albumin with increase in all three glycemic parameters. This finding suggests that ischemia modified albumin can be used as a marker of hyperglycemia induced oxidative stress in diabetes.