Background: The usefulness of plasma fibronectin (FNp) as a marker of late diabetic complications is controversial. The aim of the study was to assess the influence of several variables on FNp in diabetic patients and to determine its usefulness as a marker of late diabetic complications.
Patients and methods: 79 diabetic patients randomly selected were included in the study. The clinical variables considered were: age, gender, body mass index (BMI), tobacco and alcohol consumption, type, duration and treatment of diabetes, hypertension, and diabetic late complications (macroangiopathy, retinopathy, nephropathy and neuropathy). The laboratory variables analyzed were: blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, tryglicerides, apolipoprotein AI, apolipoprotein B, microalbuminuria, creatinin and FNp. Statistical study included a multiple regression analysis taking FNp as the dependent variable.
Results: A direct correlation between FNp and BMI and also with tryglicerides was observed (r = 0.362; p = 0.002, and r = 0.234; p = 0.038, respectively). Higher levels of FNp were found in type 2 diabetic patients in comparison with type 1 (464 [SD, 127] versus 395 [SD, 96] mg/dl; p = 0.014). This difference was due to the higher BMI and tryglicerides concentrations observed in type 2 diabetic patients in comparison with type 1 (28.61 [SD, 4.67] versus 22.56 [SD, 2,.19] kg/m2; p < 0.001, and 4.24 [SD, 2.36] versus 2.52 [SD, 1.40] mmol/l, respectively). Multiple regression analysis showed that only BMI significantly influenced on FNp concentrations (r = 0.330; p = 0.004). No relation among FNp and late diabetic complications and other variables considered in the study was observed.
Conclusions: FNp is not a useful marker of diabetic late complications and its concentrations are direct and independently influenced by BMI.