title: Ethnic and gender differences in advanced glycation end products measured by skin auto-fluorescence.
abstract: Background Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) have been shown to be a predictor of cardiovascular risk in Caucasian subjects. In this study we examine whether the existing reference values are useable for non-Caucasian ethnicities. Furthermore, we assessed whether gender and smoking affect AGEs. Methods AGEs were determined by a non-invasive method of skin auto-fluorescence (AF). AF was measured in 200 Arabs, 99 South Asians, 35 Filipinos and 14 subjects of other/mixed ethnicity in the Qatar Metabolomics Study on Diabetes (QMDiab). Using multivariate linear regression analysis and adjusting for age and type 2 diabetes, we assessed whether ethnicity, gender and smoking were associated with AF. Results The mean AF was 2.27 arbitrary units (AU) (SD: 0.63). Arabs and Filipinos had a significant higher AF than the South Asian population (0.25 arbitrary units (AU) (95% CI: 0.11‒0.39), p = 0.001 and 0.34 (95% CI: 0.13‒0.55), p = 0.001 respectively). Also, AF was significantly higher in females (0.41 AU (95% CI: 0.29‒0.53), p < 0.001). AF associated with smoking (0.21 AU (95% CI: 0.01‒0.41), p = 0.04) and increased with the number of pack-years smoked (p = 0.02). Conclusions This study suggests that the existing reference values should take ethnicity, gender and smoking into account. Larger studies in specific ethnicities are necessary to create ethnic- and gender-specific reference values.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Biophysics; Weill Cornell Medical College Qatar; Doha, Qatar.
authors.forename: Marjonneke J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Mook-Kanamori
authors.forename: Mohammed M El-Din
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Selim
authors.forename: Ahmed H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Takiddin
authors.forename: Hala
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Al-Homsi
authors.forename: Khoulood A S
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Al-Mahmoud
authors.forename: Amina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Obaidli
authors.forename: Mahmoud A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Zirie
authors.forename: Jillian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rowe
authors.forename: Wafaa Sekkal
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Gherbi
authors.forename: Omar M
authors.initials: OM
authors.lastname: Chidiac
authors.forename: Sara Abdul
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Kader
authors.forename: Wadha A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Al Muftah
authors.forename: Cindy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McKeon
authors.forename: Karsten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suhre
authors.forename: Dennis O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Mook-Kanamori
keywords: advanced glycation endproducts; epidemiology; ethnicity; gender differences; skin auto-fluorescence; smoking; type 2 diabetes