GlycA is a Novel Marker of Inflammation Among Non-Critically Ill Hospitalized Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

GlycA is a nuclear magnetic resonance-derived signal that originates from oligosaccharide chains of acute phase proteins. The objective of this study is to characterize GlycA levels in hospitalized non-critically ill patients with type 2 diabetes. This study evaluated traditional and novel (GlycA) inflammatory markers among 121 patients who were stratified by admission diagnoses: congestive heart failure (CHF), cardiac non-CHF (CARD), infection (INF), and other (OTH). HbA1c was similar across groups (8.0–9.2 %, p = 0.20). Inflammatory markers were elevated but varied significantly across disease categories, with the highest values of interleukin-6 (IL-6), c-reactive protein (CRP), and GlycA in the INF group and the highest tumor necrosis factor-α and intracellular adhesion molecule-1 levels in CHF group. GlycA was associated with higher IL-6 and CRP, lower hemoglobin, and lower glomerular filtration rate. GlycA and other inflammatory markers were not significantly associated with admission glucose or HbA1c. Among hospitalized non-critically ill patients with type 2 diabetes, GlycA was highest in INF patients and was associated with IL-6 and CRP. None of the markers were significant predictors of glucose control.