Assessment of Biomarkers of Glycation in Type I, Type II and Gestational Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Diabetes Mellitus, a leading global health challenge, necessitates reliable diagnostic and management biomarkers. This study assessed the efficacy of glycation markers in monitoring glycemic status across Type I, Type II, and gestational diabetes in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. A cross-sectional analysis of 120 participants (40 per diabetes type) evaluated fasting blood glucose (FBG), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), glycated albumin (GA), fructosamine (FA), and 1,5-anhydroglucitol (1,5-AG), along with antioxidant markers (glutathione and alpha-tocopherol). Findings indicated that HbA1c remains the most reliable indicator of glycemic status, with a strong correlation to FBG (r² = 0.99). GA and FA demonstrated utility as short-term markers but were less robust than HbA1c. Notably, FBG and 1,5-AG showed inverse correlations, suggesting their potential for assessing short-term glycemic fluctuations. Insulin levels were the only statistically significant differential marker among diabetes types. These results support incorporating multiple biomarkers into diagnostic frameworks, particularly where HbA1c reliability may be limited (e.g., anemia or renal dysfunction).