Angiopoietin 2 in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and those with complications: an observational comparative study

Abstract

Background: Angiopoietin 2 levels in blood signifies neo vascularization. Only biomarker available now for routine check up is HbA1c. However, it doesn’t suggest if patient is more prone to get into complications than the other. Here, we try to bring in another biomarker Angiopoietin 2 and elucidate if it can identify patients going in for complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus early.Methods: Total 60 diabetic patients were studied over a span of 1 year. 30 were diabetic without any complciations and another 30 were with complications (Diabetic foot ulcer, Diabetic retinopathy, Diabetic nephropathy, Diabetic neuropathy). Angiopoietin 2 levels were estimated in both the groups and compared.Results: Analysis showed Mean duration of Diabetes was significantly lower in patients without complication than those with complications. Human angiopoietin 2 levels were elevated in both the study groups. More so, in the study group with Diabetic patients with complications. It was statistically significant. (p<0.001).There was no significant relationship between duration of diabetes and Human angiopoietin 2 levels.Conclusions: It was found that angiopoietin 2 is also a good biomarker for diabetes as HbA1c. It also helps in detection of complications earlier and thus may help in reducing morbidity as well as mortality. Further studies are required to strengthen the information got from this study to compare efficacy of HbA1c and angiopoietin 2 as well as how early can we detect the patients who may land up in complications.