Background: Studies in diabetic have reported zinc deficiency due to zincuria. Effective treatment of oral antidiabetic drugs should improve glycemic status correcting serum zinc levels. This study evaluated serum zinc level and its correlation with glycemic parameters in type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) patients receiving oral antidiabetics.
Aim: To study correlation of serum zinc and glycemic parameters in patients receiving oral antidiabetics.
Materials and methods: It was a prospective cross sectional pilot study, conducted for 1 year, with the approval of IEC. Patients of T2DM satisfying inclusion/exclusion criteria were enrolled. Serum zinc and glycemic parameters were estimated. The data was stratified into- Group A: Metformin (n = 20), Group B: Metformin and glimiperide (n = 13). Correlation analysis of serum zinc and glycemic parameters was carried.
Result: The mean age and duration of 33 patients was 57 ± 9.1 and 6.30 ± 6.52 years respectively. The mean FBG, PPBG, HbA1c and zinc were 164 ± 35, 257 ± 63 mg/dL, 9.3 ± 2.2% and 58 ± 23 ug/dL respectively. Thirty patients had HbA1c >6.5%. The percentage of zinc deficiency was 76.92 and 90 in group A and B, respectively. Correlation of serum zinc and glycemic parameters was insignificant in overall group. It varied at different HbA1c levels and in different groups. A positive correlation existed between serum zinc level and HbA1c at ≥9.5%.
Conclusion: Zinc deficiency was common in T2DM and to a greater extent in combination group. Correlation of serum zinc levels with glycemic parameters varied at different HbA1c and treatment groups.
Keywords: Diabetes mellitus; glycated hemoglobin; zinc.