Evaluation of Inflammatory Biomarkers in the Diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Complications

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is also becoming known as a
chronic metabolic and inflammatory disease and where low-grade
inflammation is persistent, it is a primary cause of insulin resistance,
endothelial malfunction, and tissue damage. An expanding numbers of
inflammatory biomarkers such as hs-CRP, IL-6, TNF-a, and hematological
indicators like NLR, PLR, and SII give valuable information about the
presence inflammatory conditions in the patients with T2DM. These
biomarkers have demonstrated close correlation with the manifestation and
progression of the significant diabetic complications, especially the
nephropathy, retinopathy, neuropathy, and cardiovascular disease. They are
clinically useful in the sense that they can assist in the process of early
detection, improve the process of risk stratification and complement the
conventional metabolic indicators like fasting glucose and HbA1c.
Nevertheless, inflammatory biomarkers do not live up to the promise
because they have low specificity, variability by non-diabetic disease, and no
universally accepted reference cutoffs. Hence, although they are not to be
used as substitute diagnostic means, the use of these biomarkers in a
standard clinical examination can enhance the early detection of individuals
at a high risk and help to prevent and treat the long-term complications of
T2DM.