Poitiers Polyclinic researchers (France) have identified a blood marker that could help predict the risk of mortality and cardiovascular episodes development in patients with type 2 diabetes.
As Mathilde Fraty, director of this research presented in the framework of the LII Annual Meeting of the European Society for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) that is being held in Munich (Germany), “in patients with type 2 diabetes, type 2,Plasma protein 2 concentrations similar to angiopoietin (angptl2) are independently associated with mortality and serious cardiovascular episodes such as infarction and stroke.
Therefore, this protein is presented as a very promising candidate for use as a biomarker for better risk stratification in patients with type 2 diabetes. And it could also be used as therapeutic target ».
greater quantity, greater risk
Protein 2 similar to angiopoietin (angptl2) is a growth factor that plays a very important role in the formation of blood vessels and the development of insulin resistance and atherosclerosis.A protein that has a powerful pro -inflammatory activity, which is why the authors evaluated whether the measurement of their blood levels could help identify when a patient with type 2 diabetes has a greater risk of mortality or to suffer a major cardiovascular episode - aAcute infarction, myocardium, an stroke or a death due to cardiovascular cause.
To do this, the authors had the participation of 1,353 patients who, with an average age of 64 years, took part in the Suridagene study, currently French work currently under development to identify the environmental factors involved in micro and macrovascular complications associated with diabetesType 2.
Angptl2 blood levels are associated with mortality in patients with diabetes type 2Mathilde Fraty
All participants were included in four groups - or ‘cuartiles’ - depending on their blood levels of Angptl2 at the time of their inclusion in the study.And completed the 6 years of monitoring, the researchers registered major cardiovascular episodes in 290 patients and a total of 367 deaths.
The results showed that the last quartile patients –Q4, with plasma concentrations of angptl2 equal to or greater than 19.5 ng/ml - had a risk up to 2.5 times higher of death or suffering a cardiovascular episode greater than those included inThe rest of the quartiles –q1-q-3, with lower levels 19.5 ng/ml–.An increase in mortality, infarction and stroke associated with high levels of angptl2 that, in addition, was independent of the age and gender of the participants.
in a simple analysis
In short, the routine analysis of the blood levels of the angptl2 could help establish the mortality risk of patients with type 2 diabetes. An analysis of the protein, therefore, that would facilitate the identification of those affected in which they shouldThe administration of specific treatments and the adoption of healthier living habits are prioritized.However, today this analysis is not carried out routinely in any patient.
As the authors conclude, «the routine analysis of this protein is a very interesting concept.However, our results must be confirmed in other studies before no change in current clinical practice is adopted ».
