The relation between serum osteoprotegerin level and coronary artery calcification in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients

Background Osteoprotegerin (OPG) is considered as a possible link between bone and vascular disease. It is important to establish noninvasive methods for monitoring vascular changes such as biochemical markers of increased risk for cardiovascular disease events such as OPG, as cardiovascular morbidity is high in diabetics. Aim The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between coronary artery calcification (CAC) and OPG levels in type 2 diabetic patients in comparison with healthy controls. Patients and methods Our study included 45 type 2 diabetic patients without evidence of previous cardiovascular disease (by history and ECG) and 45 healthy age-matched and sex-matched individuals as control. All were submitted to full history, clinical examination, and lab investigations. Serum OPG concentration was measured by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and CAC imaging was performed using noncontrast multidetector computed tomography. Results Significant coronary artery calcification score (CACS) (more than 10 Agatston units) was seen in 23 (51.11%) patients. OPG was significantly high in diabetic patients in comparison with controls, with a mean of 12.9±5.7 pmol/l in cases and 8.6±0.5 pmol/l in controls (P 0.001). The CACS was positively correlated with age and diabetes duration. The OPG was positively correlated with fasting blood sugar and diabetes duration. The CACS showed significant positive correlations with OPG. Conclusion Increased serum OPG in CAC that could be used for the early diagnosis of subclinical atherosclerosis allows for designing strategies to reduce the cardiovascular event rates in these patients. Further studies are important to establish the predictive value of increased OPG levels in diabetic vascular complications.