Serum concentrations of fatty acid-binding protein 4 in Chinese children with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to test the serum concentrations of fatty acid-binding protein 4(FABP4) in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and to determine the relationship between patients with good and poor glycaemic control who were classified according to their glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels.

METHODS: Children with T1DM were selected consecutively from our department from May 2016 to May 2017. For comparison, the same non-diabetic, age, sex, BMI and pubertal stage-matched healthy children were selected consecutively among non-diabetic children. Serum levels of FABP4 were batch analyzed using a commercially available ELISA assay. Patients were categorized into two groups according to their glycaemic control (Poor glycaemic control is HbA1c>7.0% and good is ≤7.0%).

RESULTS: In this study, 118 children with T1DM and 118 control cases were included. The mean serum FABP4 concentrations were significantly (P<.001) higher in T1DM as compared to controls. There was a modest correlation between serum concentrations of FABP4 and duration of diabetes (r=0.484, P<.001). Fifty-two patients were defined as poor glycaemic control (HbA1c>7.0%). The mean serum FABP4 concentrations were significantly (P=.002) higher in the poor glycaemic control as compared to the good glycaemic control. After adjusting for all other predictors, FABP4 remained an independent poor glycaemic control indictor with an adjusted OR of 1.07 (95% CI, 1.01-1.13; P=.03).

CONCLUSIONS: The present results indicated that FABP4 concentrations were increased and independently associated with the poor glycaemic control in Chinese children with T1DM.