Abstract
BACKGROUND: Serum uric acid (SUA) has been associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in both the general population and individuals with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). Identification of high-risk individuals is crucial for the primary prevention of CVD. A growing array of newly discovered biomarkers has been identified for predicting CVD. Galectin-3 (Gal-3) is linked to inflammatory and fibrotic processes and has been suggested as a biomarker in patients with heart failure. AIMS: Our aim is to investigate whether Gal-3 is a marker that may predict the risk of CVD caused by asymptomatic hyperuricemia in patients with uncomplicated T2DM. METHODS: Twenty patients (male/female: 10/10) with T2DM with high SUA levels and 20 controls (male/female: 10/10) matched for age and gender with T2DM with normal SUA levels were involved. RESULTS: SUA and Gal-3 levels exhibited a statistically significant correlation (r(s) = 0.33, P = 0.03). Although the high SUA group had higher Gal-3 levels than the normal SUA group, the observed difference did not achieve statistical significance (mean: 18 (95% confidence interval (CI): 10.7-29)) vs 14.4 (95% CI: 10.4-30), P = 0.33)). CONCLUSIONS: The present study is the first to show a correlation between the level of SUA and Gal-3 in patients with uncomplicated T2DM. This result suggests that Gal-3 could potentially serve as a marker to predict the risk of CVD in patients with uncomplicated T2DM with high SUA levels.