Assessment of serum levels of chromium and copper among Sudanese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Backgrounds: Diabetes Mellitus is a metabolic disease characterized by hyperglycemia due to defective insulin secretion or action. There is increasing evidence of the involvement of trace elements in the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus and its complications. Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the serum levels of copper and chromium in Sudanese patients with type 2 Diabetes with that of non-diabetic healthy controls. Methods and Results: A case-control study was conducted at Alsheifa specialized hospitals in Khartoum state, Sudan, during the period from December 2015 to January 2016.Included 60 type 2 diabetic patients and 40 non diabetic subjects (male and female) as controls were enrolled in this study. Written consent will be obtained from all participants whom will be asked not to alter their usual diets and physical activities throughout the study. Both groups were matched for age and gender. The serum levels of copper and chromium were measured using atomic absorption spectrophotometry technique. SPSS was used for analysis of data. In the diabetic group, the mean of the serum levels of chromium was significantly reduced, whereas the mean of the serum levels of copper also was significantly reduced when compared with the control group show in Table (1). The serum levels of chromium in the diabetic group had asignificant inverse correlation with HBA1c, Age and glycemic status (P≤0.05) show in Table (3), whereas the serum levels of Copper had insignificant inverse correlation with HBA1C%, Age and glycemic status (P > 0.05) show in Table (2). In conclusion: The results of this study showed significantly reduced serum levels of chromium and significantly reduced serum levels of copper in Sudanese patients with type 2 diabetes.