ESPE Abstracts

Objective: Hyperglycemia is the primary metabolic problem of Diabetes Mellitus (DM). DM is characterized by chronic high glucose levels. Chronic hyperglycemia or poor metabolic control of diabetes is associated with increased systemic inflammation and oxidative stress. The rate at which hyperglycemia induces oxidative stress is important in determining strategies for reversing the process and preventing comorbidities. In our study, we aimto evaluate the relationship between acute hyperglycemic states and oxidative stress markers, specifically ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) levels, during the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT). Additionally, we seek to elucidate the pathophysiological processes related to potential damage and obtain data to improve the monitoring of diabetic patients.

Method: Children and adolescents who were indicated for OGTT and agreed to participate in the study were included. Anthropometric data, glucose, HbA1c, lipid profile, OGTT data, and IMA levels at 0 and 120 minutes of the OGTT were collected from the subjects and statistically analyzed.

Results: The study included 25 subjects with an average age of 14.4 ± 2.6 years. The inclusion criteria were abnormal weight gain, a family history of diabetes, or incidental hyperglycemia, all indicated for OGTT. Among the participants, 76% were obese, 12% were overweight, 64% had liver steatosis, 8% had hypertension, 28% had elevated LDL levels, 32% had elevated triglyceride levels, 48% had elevated total cholesterol levels, 44% had low HDL levels, and 8% had impaired glucose tolerance. The average HbA1c level was 5.5 ± 0.3%. During the OGTT, following the administration of simple sugar, we observed that glucose and insulin levels increased over the two-hour period. We also found that the levels of IMA, an oxidative stress marker, increased significantly, indicating that oxidative stres changes rapidly in response to acute glucose fluctuations. When examining the changes in IMA levels, an oxidative stress marker, in the presence of risk factors such as hypertension, liver steatosis, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance, which increase oxidative stress or are associated with oxidative stress, we observed that total cholesterol and LDL levels could lead to differences in IMA levels. However, we found that other conditions did not affect IMA levels.

Conclusion: Due to the results of our study indicating the immediate development of oxidative stress in acute hyperglycemia, we anticipate that even short-term elevations in glucose levels, especially in diabetic cases, can increase oxidative stress. Therefore, we suggest that rapid correction of glucose levels may be important in terms of both microvascular and macrovascular diabetic complications.