C-Reactive Protein to Albumin Ratio in Patients with Prediabetes and Diabetes Mellitus: HbA1c and Inflammation.

BACKGROUND

Inflammation has a significant status in both the pathogenesis and complications of diabetes mellitus (DM). The aim of this study is to compare the C-reactive protein (CRP) to albumin ratio (CAR) values in controlled DM, uncontrolled DM, prediabetes groups grouped by HbA1c as well as in a group of healthy individuals.

METHODS

In this retrospective study, 6,993 DM patients, 770 prediabetes patients, and 1,340 healthy individuals were included. According to their HbA1c levels, DM patients were divided into two groups as controlled DM (HbAlc < 6.5%, n = 4,115) and uncontrolled DM (HbAlc ≥ 6.5%, n = 2,878).

RESULTS

The CRP and CAR levels were significantly higher in the DM and prediabetes group than in the control group (p < 0.05, for both). Albumin levels were significantly lower in the DM group than in both the prediabetes and control groups (p < 0.05, for both). In the uncontrolled DM group, CRP and CAR values were found to be significantly higher than the control and controlled DM groups, while albumin values were significantly lower than the control group, prediabetes group, and controlled DM group (p < 0.05, for all).

CONCLUSIONS

It is thought that CAR, a liver related inflammatory marker, can be applied as an inflammation marker in both prediabetes, determined by HbA1c, and patients diagnosed with DM. Further prospective studies will better demonstrate the utility of CAR values as an inflammatory marker in DM and prediabetes.