Eid M El-Shafey, Gamal F El-Naggar, Mohamed M Al-Bedewy and Hesham El-Sorogy
Background: Visfatin is a newly discovered cytokine that is highly expressed in visceral fat with a direct relationship to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The present study was conducted to demonstrate the relationship between plasma visfatin level and T2DM whether in obese or non obese patients.
Subjects and methods: This prospective study was carried out on 74 subjects divided into 4 groups. Group I: Twenty obese non diabetic patients, Group II: Twenty obese diabetic patients, Group III: Twenty non obese diabetic patients and Group IV: Fourteen age and gender matched apparently healthy subjects to serve as controls. All patients and controls were subjected to full history taking, complete clinical examination, routine laboratory investigations, fasting serum insulin, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMAIR) and serum visfatin level.
Results: Serum visfatin level was significantly increased in the obese subjects and in the diabetics with the highest rise in the obese diabetics suggesting that serum visfatin level has a link between obesity and T2DM. Also, there was a significant positive correlation between serum visfatin level and body mass index (BMI), serum insulin & HOMAIR.
Conclusion: There may be a possible role of visfatin in the Pathophysiology of insulin resistance, T2DM and obesity.