Association Between Serum Albumin Levels and Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy Among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: Effect Modification of Body Mass Index

Abstract

Background

The role of serum albumin in the risk of diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) remains unclear. This study aimed to explore the relationship between serum albumin level and DPN, and to examine any possible effect modifiers among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was conducted in Jiangxi, China, from May 2012 to December 2014. Serum albumin levels were determined in 523 subjects, and the association between serum albumin level and DPN was evaluated using linear regression models (odds ratio [OR] and corresponding 95% confidence interval [CI]).

Results

There was a significant inverse association between serum albumin level (per 1 g/L increment, OR 0.95 [95% CI 0.92–0.98]) and the risk of DPN. Accordingly, when serum albumin was assessed as quartiles, a significantly lower risk of DPN was found in participants in quartile 4 (OR 0.49 [95% CI 0.25–0.95]), compared with those in quartile 1. Consistently, higher albumin levels (≥35 g/L) were associated with decreased odds for DPN (OR 0.36 [95% CI 0.17–0.74]) compared with lower levels. Furthermore, the albumin–DPN association was significantly stronger in patients with a relatively high body mass index (BMI; ≥24 kg/m²; OR 0.91 [95% CI 0.85–0.98]) than in those with a low BMI (<24 kg/m²; OR 0.99 [95% CI 0.94–1.04]; P for interaction = 0.042).

Conclusion

These data suggest that serum albumin level could be a novel risk factor for DPN among patients with type 2 diabetes and relatively high BMI (>24 kg/m²).

Keywords:

• serum albumin
• BMI
• diabetic peripheral neuropathy
• type 2 diabetes mellitus

Ethics Approval and Consent to Participate

This study was approved by the ethics committee of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University (no. CDYFY2014009) and written informed consent was obtained from all individuals. This study was performed in adherence to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.

Acknowledgments

All authors made substantial contributions to conception and design, acquisition of data, or analysis and interpretation of data; took part in drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; agreed to submit to the current journal; gave final approval of the version to be published; and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

Disclosure

All authors declare they do not have conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

The study was supported by funding from the following: the National Natural Science Funds of China (Nos. 81760168 and 81460018) and the National Natural Science Funds of Jiangxi Province (No. 20192BAB205031).