Prediction of type 2 diabetes mellitus using hematological factors based on machine learning approaches: a cohort study analysis

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) is a significant public health problem globally. The diagnosis and management of diabetes are critical to reduce the diabetes complications including cardiovascular disease and cancer. This study was designed to assess the potential association between T2DM and routinely measured hematological parameters. This study was a subsample of 9000 adults aged 35–65 years recruited as part of Mashhad stroke and heart atherosclerotic disorder (MASHAD) cohort study. Machine learning techniques including logistic regression (LR), decision tree (DT) and bootstrap forest (BF) algorithms were applied to analyze data. All data analyses were performed using SPSS version 22 and SAS JMP Pro version 13 at a significant level of 0.05. Based on the performance indices, the BF model gave high accuracy, precision, specificity, and AUC. Previous studies suggested the positive relationship of triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index with T2DM, so we considered the association of TyG index with hematological factors. We found this association was aligned with their results regarding T2DM, except MCHC. The most effective factors in the BF model were age and WBC (white blood cell). The BF model represented a better performance to predict T2DM. Our model provides valuable information to predict T2DM like age and WBC.