Association between Elevated Liver Enzymes and Microvascular Complications in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: The PERSIAN Guilan Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE: The present study investigated the association between increased serum levels of liver enzymes and the risk of diabetic microvascular complications among Prospective Epidemiological Research Studies in IRAN (PERSIAN) Guilan Cohort Study (PGCS) population. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 403 patients with T2D from PGCS were included. Patients’ demographic, anthropometric, and clinical characteristics were assessed using a questionnaire. Urine analysis and blood laboratory tests were conducted to assess diabetic nephropathy and serum liver enzyme levels. Fundus photometry and the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument (MNSI) were used to assess retinopathy and neuropathy, respectively. All statistical analyses were performed using SPSS version 16.0, and the significant level was p < 0.05. RESULTS: Of 403 patients with diabetes, 202 (50.1%) were male, and the mean age of participants was 59.67 ± 6.33 years. No statistically significant association between the increased level of liver enzymes and developing retinopathy or neuropathy in patients with diabetes was observed (p > 0.05). However, increased levels of gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) were significantly associated with the development of diabetic nephropathy (OR = 3.42, 95% CI, 1.28–6.00, p = 0.014). No statistically significant association was observed between increased levels of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), or alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and diabetic nephropathy (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results of the study suggested increased levels of GGT as an independent risk factor for the development of nephropathy in patients with diabetes.