Plasma visfatin levels in patients with newly diagnosed and untreated type 2 diabetes mellitus and impaired glucose tolerance

Objective To investigate the plasma visfatin levels and explore the relationship between visfatin and anthropometric parameters,glucose,lipid profile,insulin sensitivity index and insulin secretion index in the subjects with different glucose tolerances.Methods Fifty-three patients with newly diagonosed type 2 diabetes(T2DM),7 subjects with impaired glucose tolerance(IGT)and 35 healthy controls were enrolled.Visfatin levels were measured along with the BMI,blood pressure,lipids,glucose,insulin and HOMA-IR indexes.Results Plasma visfatin levels were elevated in patients with newly diagnosed T2DM compared with IGT group or controls.There was no significant difference in the visfatin levels between IGT group and healthy controls.Plasma visfatin level was positively correlated with glucose levels and HOMA-IR,and negatively correlated with insulin secretion index(HOMA-B).Multiple regression analysis showed that postprandial plasma glucose was independent related factor influencing plasma visfatin levels.In T2DM group,plasma visfatin concentration was positively correlated with HbA1c level.Conclusion The increased plasma visfatin concentration in newly diagnosed and untreated type 2 diabetes mellitus represents a compensatory mechanism aimed at ameliorating the functional consequences of insulin deficiency.