Serum GLP-1 and IGF-1 levels are candidate diagnostic biomarkers for type 2 diabetes mellitus complicated by coronary heart disease.

Background: Objective: The aim of this study was to analyze the role of blood Glucagon like peptide-1 (GLP-1), insulin-like growth element-1 (IGF-1), and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in coronary heart disease (CHD).

Method: In this study, the clinical data of T2DM patients (n=203) admitted to Baoding Second Hospital from June 2020 to June 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. The patients included 65 T2DM patients without CHD who were assigned to the T2DM group and 138 T2DM patients with a CHD and T2DM comorbidity assigned to the CHD group. The baseline demographic characteristics and laboratory indexes of the two groups were explored, and the relationship between expression profiles of GLP-1 and IGF-1 levels and T2DM complicated by CHD was evaluated. The patients in the CHD group were sub-classified by the SYNTAX score system according to the results of coronary angiography. The three groups included a low-risk group with 52 cases, medium-risk group with 45 cases, and high-risk group with 41 cases. The relationship between GLP-1 and IGF-1 levels and the risk level of T2DM complicated by CHD was evaluated.

Results: Significant differences in age, smoking history, total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), fasting blood glucose, GLP-1, and IGF-1 were observed between the two groups. Multivariate analysis revealed that smoking history, LDL-C, GLP-1, and IGF-1 were risk factors for CHD. Spearman correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between GLP-1 level and the occurrence of T2DM complicated by CHD, whereas IGF1 level was negatively correlated with the occurrence of T2DM complicated by CHD. GLP-1 and IGF-1 levels showed significant differences between risk groups. The GLP-1 level in the high-risk group was higher than that in the low- and medium-risk groups whereas IGF-1 level was lower in the high-risk group relative to the other two groups.

Conclusion: Blood GLP-1 and IGF1 levels were associated with occurrence of T2DM complicated by CHD. Elevated level of blood GLP-1 was positively correlated with high risk of T2DM complicated by CHD whereas a lower blood IGF1 level was positively correlated with risk of T2DM complicated by CHD.