Evaluation of Serum Circulating Levels of ICAM-1 as Tuberculosis Risk-assessment Factor in Type 2 Diabetes Patients.

OBJECTIVE

Type 2 diabetes mellitus, due to its deteriorating effect on the immune system, makes a person susceptible to various other diseases, such as tuberculosis. The alarming increase in the number of diabetes mellitus cases in Pakistan may be a contributing factor to the increased tuberculosis incidence. The expression of cell adhesion molecules such as intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) is important in determining cell permeability, and the latter's altered expression may ease the entry of infectious agents into the cell. Therefore, the present study evaluated the role of ICAM-1 in type 2 diabetes and tuberculosis patients so that a potential link between these 2 epidemics could be found.

METHODS

To explore this hypothesis, the expression of ICAM-1 was measured tested in 3 groups of subjects: group I consisted of 100 healthy individuals (control), group II consisted of 100 type 2 diabetics, and group III consisted of 100 individuals with both type 2 diabetes and tuberculosis. Demographic information was obtained from all the participants and compared by group and ICAM-1 levels in the blood were determined by ELISA.

RESULTS

The results revealed that, in comparison to group I, the individuals of group II had significantly (p ≤ 0.05) increased levels of ICAM-1, making them more prone to infection (by promoting the increased invasion of mycobacterium) and hence at increased risk of contracting tuberculosis.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the present study demonstrated that elevated levels of ICAM-1 in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus are likely associated with the development of tuberculosis.