title: Heterogeneity of serum basal C peptide levels amongst Arab patients with diabetes mellitus.
abstract: Thirty-four Arab patients with history of diabetes mellitus but without history of ketoacidosis (Group 2), and 16 Arab patients with history of diabetes mellitus and ketoacidosis (Group 1) were studied. They were compared with 15 healthy control subjects and were further broken down according to sex and type of therapy. Fasting serum C-peptide, glucose and glycosylated haemoglobin levels were measured in all subjects. C-peptide levels in Group 2 were higher (t = 2.95) and exhibited greater heterogeneity (Variance ratio 3.60, p less than 0.005) than those in Group 1. Female subjects in Group 2 were more obese than male subjects in the same group, and exhibited greater heterogeneity of their C-peptide levels (Variance ratio 9.47, p less than 0.001). Although male patients in Group 2 on insulin therapy were older than male subjects on diet or oral hypoglycemic agents (t = 3.52, p less than 0.01), female subjects on insulin therapy were younger than those on diet or oral hypoglycemic agents (t = 2.05, p less than 0.05). Furthermore female patients on insulin therapy had lower serum glycosylated haemoglobin levels than female subjects on oral hypoglycemic agents (t = 2.05, p less than 0.05) but male patients on insulin therapy had higher serum glycosylated haemoglobin than those on oral hypoglycemic agents. These data suggest the earlier tendency of physicians to prescribe insulin in women of child bearing age but suggest that earlier prescribing habits of insulin may improve diabetic control.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Abdella
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Luqman
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hassan
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Salman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D002096:C-Peptide / Q000097:blood*; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood*; D016883:Diabetic Ketoacidosis / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007730:Kuwait; D008297:Male; D012737:Sex Factors
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D002096:C-Peptide; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin