Serum ferritin is associated with the presence of ischemic stroke among individuals with type 2 diabetes.

Background: Epidemiological evidence regarding the possible link between serum ferritin (SF) level and ischemic stroke risk among individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is sparse.

Aim: To evaluate the association between SF level in plasma and ischemic stroke risk among individuals with T2DM.

Methods: SF levels were measured in 210 T2DM patients with (n = 165) or without ischemic stroke (n = 45). Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results: The SF level of T2DM patients with ischemic stroke was significantly higher than that of patients without ischemic stroke ( = 0.003). The multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that each 1-SD increase in SF (OR: 1.92; 95%CI: 1.22, 3.03) was significantly associated with increased ischemic stroke risk among T2DM patients. In addition, interaction effect of SF and BMI on ischemic stroke risk were also observed ( = 0.037).

Conclusions: Higher levels of SF were independently associated with increased risk of ischemic stroke among individuals with T2DM.