Assessment of Serum Zinc and Copper Levels, and Cu / Zn Ratio Among Patients of Côte D’Ivoire with Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes or diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disorder characterized by an increase in blood sugar level. It is caused by a lack of insulin secretion, insulin action, or both. There are approximately 501,530 people living with diabetes in Côte d'Ivoire with an estimated prevalence of 5.19% in 2013. Unfortunately impairment of zinc and copper leads to increased oxidative stress, insulin resistance and diabetic complications. The study aimed to assess the zinc and copper status in patients with type 2 diabetes. This study involved 80 type 2 diabetics and 80 non-diabetic as controls. Glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) was analyzed in whole blood using the Hitachi Roche Cobas C311. The serum assays of zinc and copper then of glycemia were carried out using a flame-air / acetylene atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS) of the brand Varian Spectr AA-20 Victoria, Australia and on the Cobas C311 respectively. A significant decrease in zinc content (P ˂ 0.0001) and a significant increase in copper content as well as the Cu / Zn ratio (P ˂ 0.0001) were observed in type 2 diabetic patients compared to nondiabetic control. The lower serum zinc values and the high Cu / Zn ratio could justify the high level of oxidative stress in patients with type 2 diabetes. Assessment of zinc and copper is essential in the monitoring of complications due to type 2 diabetes.