Increase in serum ceruloplasmin with aging is not observed in type 2 diabetes

Changes of serum ceruloplasmin (Cp) levels have been reported in many condi tions including diabetes mellitus (DM), in which the serum Cp levels were i ncreased. In this study, we have examined the influence of aging on serum C p levels in normal individuals and in individuals with DM. Serum Cp levels were measured in 85 outpatients with type 2 diabetes (type 2 DM group) as w ell as in 71 healthy individuals (control group). All patients recruited fo r this study were negative for the glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD) antibo dy. The subjects were sub-grouped based on their ages (<55 and 55 less than or equal to). The serum Cp levels in the control group increased significa ntly with aging (r=0.325, p<0.0055), while levels in the type 2 DM group di d not (r=0.091, p=0.4079). The levels in the type 2 DM group (<55) were sig nificantly higher than those in the control group (<55) (p=0.0029), while t he Cp levels in the type 2 DM group (55 less than or equal to) were not dif ferent from those in the control group (55 less than or equal to) (p=0.4187 ). An age-related increase of serum Cp levels was observed in normal indivi duals, but this change was not observed in type 2 DM patients since serum C p levels in type 2 DM patients of all ages were similar to the levels in no rmal elderly individuals.