Plasma procalcitonin and risk of type 2 diabetes in the general population

Excerpt

To the Editor: Chronic low-grade inflammation is a key feature of the pathophysiology of obesity, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes [1]. In vitro studies have found that parenchymal cells of tissues, including adipocytes, secrete procalcitonin in response to stimulation by activated macrophages [2]. Since obesity is associated with an increased presence of activated macrophages in adipose tissue, a similar scenario may play a role in vivo [2, 3]. In an initial study, we found that procalcitonin is associated with insulin resistance and all components of the metabolic syndrome [3]. Our current aim is to test the prospective association of plasma procalcitonin with incident type 2 diabetes in the general population, and to compare its predictive value with that of high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP). …