Study of Association between Serum Chemerin and Cardio-predictive Anthropometric Risk Factors in Type-2 Diabetes Mellitus Population

Abstract

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a heterogeneous group of disorders characterized by variable degrees of insulin resistance, impaired insulin secretion, and increased hepatic glucose production. Methods: One thousand (1000) participants were studied, made up of five hundred (500) diabetics and five hundred (500) non-diabetics matched for age and sex, who were within the ages of 41 to 60 years. Diabetes was confirmed using both HBA1C and fasting plasma glucose values. Apo-lipoprotein B100 and serum chemerin in both groups were assayed, while anthropometric values were obtained using a standardized and calibrated weighing scale and a Tape rule. Results: There was no significant difference in the mean waist circumference of the diabetic population and the control at 93.59± 8.2 and 92.94± 6.6 (P=0.662), respectively. The mean hip circumference significantly varied between the diabetic population at 80.35± 10.6 and the control at 72.46±9.7 (P < 0.001), while the waist-hip ratio (WHR) was significantly different at 0.87±0.1 for the diabetic population and 0.78± 0.1 for the control population (p= < 0.001). The diabetic participants' chemerin value had significant positive correlations with waist circumference (r=0.333, p=0.018). Using a multiple logistic regression model, Chemerin with an odds ratio of 0.442 (95% C.I.; 0.138 – 0.747), apolipoprotein B with an odds ratio of 0.522 (95% C.I.; 0.135 – 0.811) were significant predictors of abnormal blood glucose. Conclusion: The relationship between diabetes mellitus and serum chemerin, though not fully elucidated, it shows that serum chemerin level is a cause rather than a consequence of the abnormalities in glucose metabolism, which predispose affected individuals to cardiovascular risk. Given the growing burden of diabetes and cardiovascular comorbidities in Africa, this study contributes valuable insights into the biochemical mechanisms linking adipokine dysregulation and metabolic disorders, and also confirms elevated chemerin levels in Nigerian diabetics compared to non-diabetics, strengthening existing evidence from other global populations (e.g., Iran, Iraq, and Indonesia).