A new ratio derived from inflammasome markers can serve as a marker of assessment of glycemic index in children with Type 1 diabetes

Mature inflammasome markers play a role in the development of Type 1 diabetes (T1D). This cross‑sectional study aimed to derive ratios from the serum levels of interleukins (ILs): IL‑1β and IL‑18 and to relate their values with glycemic index and anti‑inflammatory markers (IL‑4 and IL‑10) in children with T1D.

This study was conducted at Hawler Medical University in Erbil‑Iraq from April to July 2018. Healthy subjects (Group I, n = 40) and patients (Group II, n = 76) were recruited from primary schools and the Center of Diabetes in Erbil, respectively. Glycemic indices (including fasting serum glucose, insulin, glycosylated hemoglobin, and peptide C) and pro‑ and anti‑inflammatory markers (including high‑sensitivity C‑reactive protein, IL‑1β, IL‑18, IL‑4, and IL‑10 and the ratio of neutrophil or platelet to lymphocyte) were determined.

Cutoff values of 105 pg/mL, 85 pg/mL, and 1.235 for serum IL‑1β, IL‑18, and IL‑1β to IL‑18 ratio, respectively, were found to be significant discriminators of glycemic index and anti‑inflammatory markers with respect to the calculated area under the curve.

A ratio of IL‑1β to IL‑18 adjusted to 1.235 can serve as a useful marker of assessment of glycemic index. This ratio does not discriminate the status of anti‑inflammatory markers (IL‑4 and IL‑10) in children with T1D.