title: CA 19-9 level in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and its relation to the metabolic control and microvascular complications.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study is to compare CA 19-9 levels in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and healthy control group. The relation of CA 19-9 levels to metabolic control and microvascular complications in patients with diabetes was also investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three hundred forty patients with type 2 DM and age-, sex- and body mass index-matched 214 healthy controls group were included in the study. HbA₁(c), duration of DM and microvascular complications of DM were reviewed. CA 19-9 levels (normal range, 0-35 U/mL) were measured in all participants.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Median CA 19-9 level was significantly higher in patients with diabetes compared with control group [19.5 U/mL (0-214.8 U/mL) versus 7.4 U/mL (0.4-47.0 U/mL)] (P < 0.001). Prevalence of high CA 19-9 levels in patients with diabetes was 31.2%, and CA 19-9 level was positively correlated with age, duration of diabetes, HbA₁(c) and number of complications. Effects of duration of diabetes, HbA₁(c) and diabetic nephropathy were still continuing in multiple linear regression analysis. Using regression coefficients of all variables in multiple regression analysis, this study tried to determine a new cutoff value for CA 19-9 level in patients with diabetes. The cutoff value at 97th percentile was 57.14 U/mL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  High CA 19-9 value in patients with diabetes may indicate the need for a careful evaluation of blood glucose regulation and investigation of complications. Defining a new cutoff value in these patients would prevent unnecessary laboratory or imaging procedures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Ankara Ataturk Education and Research Hospital, Bilkent, Turkey. kamilegul@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Kamile
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Gul
authors.forename: Sevinc
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nas
authors.forename: Didem
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ozdemir
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gumus
authors.forename: Reyhan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ersoy
authors.forename: Bekir
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cakir
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D015992:Body Mass Index; D018395:CA-19-9 Antigen / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000097:blood* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D049671:History, 18th Century; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055806:Microvessels / Q000473:pathology*; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D018395:CA-19-9 Antigen