Heterogeneity of Altered Cytokine Levels Across the Clinical Spectrum of Diabetes in China

OBJECTIVE: To determine the relationship between selected cytokines and diabetes in Chinese subjects. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Adult patients with recent-onset type 1 diabetes (n = 53), latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) (n = 250), and type 2 diabetes (n = 285) from multiple centers were compared with normal subjects (n = 196). We centrally tested serum GAD antibodies (GADAs), interleukin-6 (IL-6), lipocalin 2 (LCN2), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), and adiponectin. RESULTS: After adjustment for age, sex, and BMI, all diabetes types had increased IL-6 and LCN2 (P < 0.01), and all four cytokines were increased in LADA (P < 0.01). In type 1 diabetes, adiponectin but not hs-CRP was increased (P < 0.01), whereas in type 2 diabetes, hs-CRP but not adiponectin was increased (P < 0.01). Adiponectin was correlated positively with GADA titer and negatively with hs-CRP (P < 0.01 for both). CONCLUSIONS: In China, inflammatory markers are increased in all three major types of diabetes, but probably for different reasons, even in autoimmune diabetes.