Serum retinol binding protein-4 and the risk of hypothyroidism in Egyptian diabetic patients with cardiovascular manifestations

Retinol binding protein-4 (RBP4) levels have been associated with patients of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) including insulin resistance (IR), dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular disease (CVD). The present study examined the relationship between serum levels of RBP4 and the risk factors related to hypothyroidism (Hypo) and CVD in diabetic Egyptian patients. A total of 96 subjects were recruited and divided into 8 groups. Subjects were assessed for different biochemical parameters. In addition, serum levels of RBP4 were measured using specific immunoassays. There was a highly statistically significant difference in fasting blood glucose (FBG) and hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) between the different patient groups and the control group. Thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) concentration in the (T2DM+Hyp) group was considerably higher than in the other groups. There were statistically significant variations in TSH levels between all groups and controls. The mean RBP4 value in Group5 (T2DM+Hyp+CVD) was significantly higher than in the other groups. In (T2DM+Hypo+CVD) group, the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve revealed that RBP4 had a higher area under curve (AUC), making it a powerful discriminator of those diseases.