IS TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS AN INFLAMMATORY CONDITION? EXPLORING THE LINKS BETWEEN INTERLEUKIN-6, A PRO-INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINE, GLYCEMIC INDICES AND ADIPOSITY IN TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS

Objective: The primary objective of our study was to evaluate the levels of inflammatory cytokine Interleukin-6 (IL-6) in diabetic patients and compare the levels with age and gender matched healthy controls. The secondary objective was to assess the correlation, if any, of IL-6 with glycemic indices and anthropometric markers of obesity. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, IL-6 levels were measured in 110 patients with T2DM and compared with an equal number of age-and gender-matched healthy controls. Correlations between interleukin-6 levels and glycemic markers and anthropometric measurements were assessed. Results: Interleukin-6 levels were significantly elevated in diabetic patients, with a sixfold increase compared to healthy controls. In the diabetic group, the mean IL-6 levels were found to be 12.24±4.18 pg/ml as compared to 2.01±0.82 mg/dl in healthy controls. The elevation was more pronounced in obese patients (seven-fold increase) with a mean value 13.8±4.5 pg/ml, compared to their non-obese counterparts (five. five-fold increase) with a mean value of 11.1±3.8 pg/ml. A moderate positive correlation was observed between IL-6 and BMI (r = 0.31), and a stronger positive correlation was found between IL-6 and HbA1c (r = 0.70). Conclusion: Our findings confirm that IL-6 is significantly elevated in T2DM patients, with higher levels observed in those with obesity. These results support the hypothesis that inflammation plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of T2DM, particularly in the context of obesity, and emphasize the potential of targeting inflammatory pathways as a therapeutic strategy.