A study of adiponectin in children with diabetes mellitus

Adiponectin is a hormone produced by adipose tissue. It is secreted exclusively by adipocytes and appears to play a role in the pathophysiology of obesity, diabetes mellitus (DM), and its comorbidities. The aim of this study was to assess adiponectin levels in diabetic children with type 1 DM (T1DM) and type 2 DM (T2DM), and to detect its prognostic role in them.

This study was undertaken from April to July 2011 at Minia University Children's Hospital, Egypt, and included 314 children aged 2-18 years divided into two patient groups. Group I consisted of 164 pre-diagnosed diabetic patients, further subdivided into Group Ia which included 142 patients with T1DM and Group Ib, 22 patients with T2DM; Group 2 included 150 apparently healthy children as a controls; they were age- and sex-matched to the diseased group. Patients were subjected to a thorough history taking, clinical examination, and laboratory investigations including assessment of HbA1c percentages, fasting C-peptide levels, lipid profiles and fasting serum adiponectin levels.

Adiponectin levels did not differ significantly between patients with T1DM and T2DM, but it was significantly higher in diabetic patients than in the controls. In T1DM, adiponectin had positive significant correlations with the duration of the disease and waist circumference, while in T2DM, it had a positive significant correlation with the dose of insulin given and negative significant associations with diastolic blood pressure, cholesterol, and C-peptide levels.

The results of the study suggest that adiponectin can play a protective role against the metabolic complications of DM.