Comparison of the Salivary Levels of Homocysteine and C-Reactive Protein in Type 1 Diabetic Patients and Healthy Individuals

Diabetes mellitus type 1 (DM-1) is associated with pancreatic beta-cell destruction, inflammatory processes, and cardiovascular disorders. C-reactive protein (CRP) and homocysteine are considered as inflammatory processes and cardiovascular disorder indicators that can be used for monitoring patients with DM-1. The present study aimed to compare the salivary levels of homocysteine and CRP of DM-1 patients with those of healthy people.

In this case-control study, 82 patients participated, including 41 DM-1 patients (case group) and 41 healthy people (control group). The case and control groups were matched in terms of age, gender, and body mass index, and 5 mL of the saliva was collected from each participant. Then, the salivary levels of CRP and homocysteine were measured for each patient. Finally, several parameters were recorded for diabetic patients, including fasting blood glucose (FBS), 2-hour postprandial glucose (2hpp), and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), as well as the duration of the disease and the type and amount of insulin injections. Eventually, data were analyzed by SPSS software using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, and Pearson correlation coefficient.

The salivary CRP and homocysteine concentration had no significant difference between patients and controls (P>0.05). There was no significant correlation between the salivary level of homocysteine and CRP and FBS, 2hpp, HbA1c, albuminuria, duration of disease, type and amount of insulin injection (P<0.05).

According to the results of the current study, the measurement of the salivary levels of CRP and homocysteine could not be helpful for monitoring patients with DM-1.