OBJECTIVE - To examine if there is a correlation between high blood gl
ucose and serum ceruloplasmin (Cp) levels. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS
- Serum Cp levels were measured in 637 patients with type 2 diabetes
(all type 2 diabetes group). For the follow-up type 2 diabetes group,
161 patients who had not had any changes in their situation during the
last year that are known to influence serum Cp levels were reexamined
1 year later. The control group was composed of 158 healthy individua
ls. Serum Cp and blood HbA(1c) levels were measured by radial immunodi
ffusion and high-performance liquid chromatography assays, respectivel
y. RESULTS - Serum Cp levels in the all type 2 diabetes group were sig
nificantly higher than those in the control group (P < 0.0001), althou
gh the serum Cp levels did not correlate with the blood HbA(1c) levels
in the all type 2 diabetes group (r = 0.055, P = 0.351). Then we eval
uated those factors (Delta-log Cp and h-HbA(1c)) in the follow-up type
2 diabetes group to minimize changes from the genetic differences and
to exclude any known factors influencing serum Cp levels. This indica
ted that the Delta-HbA(1c) had a positive correlation to the Delta-log
Cp (r = 0.304, P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS - A persistent high blood glu
cose (namely HbA(1c)) is associated with an increase in serum Cp level
s over 1 year.