Assessing cardiovascular status using biomarkers and anthropometry among patients with Type-2 Diabetes in a resource limited setting

Background: Diabetes places extra-burden on those affected with the condition particularly in resource constraint settings. Inaccessibility to affordable diagnostic procedures poses a major challenge to the assessment of cardiovascular status in patients with type-2 diabetes in resource limited settings. The study was aimed at evaluating some easily accessible biochemical markers and anthropometric indices implicated in cardiovascular disease amongst T2DM patients.Methods: One hundred and sixty (160) type-2 diabetic patients grouped into type-2 diabetes only as group 1, type-2 diabetic patients diagnosed with hypertension as group 2, and eighty (80) age and sex-matched controls as group 3, were enrolled in a cross-sectional pattern. Biochemical parameters were assayed using standard laboratory methods. Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0 with statistical significance considered at p≤0.05.Results: The values obtained for diabetic groups were: Glycated Hemoglobin (HbA1c) 9.07±1.99, 10.15±4.98, Total Homocysteine (tHcy) 14.85±52.10, 28.35±100.35, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) 6.72±6.78,10.00±11.15, Waist Circumference, 92.58±1.55, 93.65±18.91, Hip Circumference, 96.87±9.01, 98.96±20.33, Systolic Blood Pressure, 113.50±12.94, 135.50±22.72, Diastolic Blood Pressure, 70.75±8.57, 75.38±12.62, Body Mass Index, 25.40±4.70, 26.93±6.50 (among patients) and HbA1c 5.81±0.86, tHcy 0.75±1.44, hs-CRP 5.30±6.19, Waist Circumference 83.15±10.69, Hip Circumference 93.50±22.05, Systolic Blood Pressure, 113.50±10.20, Diastolic Blood Pressure, 77.00±7.19, Body Mass Index, 24.84±4.93 (among controls).Conclusion: The assessment of some cardio metabolic markers and anthropometric indices may provide easy and accessible tools for prediction and assessment of cardiovascular disease in patients with T2DM especially in resource poor settings.Annals of Medical Laboratory Science (2021) 1(1), 36 - 48