SERUM LEVELS OF CARCINOEMBRYONIC ANTIGEN IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES

Objective: To investigate whether serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) leek are associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c). Methods: A comparative, cross-sectional, observational study was conducted at Jordan University Hospital, Amman, Jordan, on 282 adult subjects from March 2012 to June 2015. Subjects were classified into 2 groups: T2DM subjects (n = 168) and a healthy comparison group (n = 114). Subjects with any condition known to be associated with elevated CEA levels were excluded. HbA1c and serum CEA levels were measured, and body mass index (BMI) was determined. Results: Subjects with T2DM had significantly higher mean serum CEA than controls (2.4 +/- 1.5 vs. 1.5 +/- 1.2 ng/ml., P<.0001). Sex did not correlate with CEA levels, while age (Spearman's rho [rho] = 0.18, P = .002) and HbA1c (rho = 0.56, P<.0001) did; however, age no longer correlated after correcting for diabetic status. HhA1c was the only variable shown to correlate with CEA in a stepwise linear regression (r = 0.37, P<.001). Conclusion: We observed a statistically significant association between elevated CEA and T2DM, despite average CEA values for both groups being within the reference range. In addition, serum CEA levels correlated positively with HbAllc values.