Effect of metabolic control on serum protein concentrations in diabetes

Serum albumin, transferrin, transthyretin (prealbumin), and retinol binding protein concentrations were determined in 74 children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus before and after a 10-day camp session during which blood glucose concentrations were controlled. Initial concentrations of albumin and transferrin in the subjects were not different from those in 21 children and adults without diabetes, and did not change during the study period. Transthyretin and retinol binding protein concentrations were lower in subjects with diabetes than in the control population, and increased from 182 +/- 49 mg/l and 42.5 +/- 13.4 mg/l to 232 +/- 71 mg/l and 47.2 +/- 13.5 mg/l, respectively. We observed correlations between the changes in transferrin, transthyretin, and retinol binding protein. Although reductions in glycated albumin and transferrin indicated improvement in blood glucose control, there was no correlation between changes in the glycated markers and the concentrations of serum transport proteins. Thus, serum protein concentrations were influenced by the metabolic control of diabetes, but did not directly reflect blood glucose.