Are total bilirubin and high‑sensitivity C‑reactive protein independently associated with Type 2 diabetes mellitus in postmenopausal women?

Various studies have reported contradictory results regarding the relationship of total bilirubin and high‑sensitivity C‑reactive protein levels (hsCRP) with diabetes mellitus Type 2 (DM2). Therefore, we aimed to examine which one of them could be more convenient for the estimation of DM2 risk in postmenopausal women.

A total of 150 healthy postmenopausal women (mean age 57[53–60] years) and 79 postmenopausal women with DM2 (mean age 66 [61–71] years) were enrolled in cross‑sectional study. Examinees were recruited consecutively in the study during their regular check‑up visit in the Primary Health Care Center in Podgorica, Montenegro, in a period from October 2012 to May 2016. Anthropometric measurements, biochemical parameters, and blood pressure were obtained. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to find the independent predictors for DM2 development in postmenopausal women.

Age, waist circumference, and total bilirubin were the independent predictors for DM2 development in postmenopausal women (odds ratio [OR] =1.224, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.117–1.341], P < 0.001; OR = 1.137, [95% CI = 1.036–1.215], P < 0.001, and OR = 0.727, [95% CI = 0.611–0.866], P < 0.001, respectively), whereas hsCRP lost its independent predictive role (OR = 1.155, [95% CI = 0.854–1.560], P = 0.349).

Unlike hsCRP, total bilirubin independently correlated with DM2 in postmenopausal women.