Given its location and ubiquitous distribution, sialic acid can mediate or modulate a wide variety of physiological and pathological processes; however, there is scarce data regarding the associations between sialic acid serum levels and sex, age and menopause. The present study evaluated the age-related changes in serum sialic acid (SA) levels in 97 elderly subjects, including men and postmenopausal women. A significant increase in serum levels of sialic acid in postmenopausal women and a significant decrease in men were observed in an age-dependent manner. Furthermore, in postmenopausal women, positive correlations were observed between the total serum sialic acid level and age in all decades and subgroups. The total serum concentration of sialic acid in the postmenopausal women group exhibited a particular pattern; significantly lower levels were observed in subjects in the intermediate postmenopausal period compared with those in the first decade of post menopause and then higher levels again as the women get older (late climax), thus the concentration increased according to the age of the individual.
For women in the postmenopausal period, age-related changes in the hormonal status are associated with a higher risk for type-2 diabetes and its complications. The tissue injury caused by diabetic vascular complications can induce a release of sialic acid (SA) into the general circulation leading to increased levels. The present study is a cross-sectional single center study of 77 women in the postmenopausal period. The subjects selected for the study were divided into two groups: i) The control group, which included postmenopausal women without type-2 diabetes mellitus (n=27); and ii) a group of postmenopausal women diagnosed with type-2 diabetes (n=50). By analyzing how the serum values of SA were correlated with glycemia and glycated hemoglobin in the subjects with diabetes, it was determined that both parameters exhibited a strong positive correlation (P<0.0001) in the group with type-2 diabetes. Therefore, SA may be considered as a potential marker for the screening, diagnosis or prognosis of type-2 diabetes for postmenopausal women.
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