Association between serum ferritin level and lipid profile among diabetic patients: A retrospective cohort study

Abstract

High serum ferritin (SF) levels have been linked to obesity, metabolic syndrome, atherosclerosis, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and cancer. This study aimed to investigate the association between SF and dyslipidemia in adults diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. This cross-sectional study retrospectively analyzed the electronic medical records of eligible patients from 3 primary locations in Saudi Arabia namely – Abha, Khamis Mushyt, and Jeddah – from 2010 to 2020. The study included adult patients aged 18 years or older who were diagnosed with diabetes mellitus and identified with an HbA1c level of ≥6.5. This study involved 3674 participants, with males accounting for 26.6% of the total. The mean age of the studied population was 48.0 ± 18.4 years. The median [interquartile range] of SF among males was higher than females, however, this difference was not statistically significant (60.0 [23.4–125.8] vs 55.4 [24.0–113.4], P = 0.204). On the other hand, age and region were significantly associated with SF (P = .032 and 0.035). SF had a significant positive correlation with cholesterol (r = 0.081, P < .001), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (r = .087, P < .001), and triglycerides (r = 0.068, P < .001) and negative correlation with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (r = −0.13, P < .001). Multivariate analysis revealed that age, sex, residence, and HbA1c were significantly affecting the lipid profile. Clinicians should consider including SF testing as part of the comprehensive evaluation of patients with diabetes and dyslipidemia.