The Correlated Factors of Serum CA19-9 Levels in Diabetic Patients

Background: Serum CA19-9 level is a sensitive marker for pancreatic tissue damage; however, its correlation factors are still unclear in diabetic patients. This study was aimed to investigate the correlation factors of serum CA 19-9 levels in these patients. Methods and Results: Based on their serum CA19-9 levels, 412 diabetic patients (57 type 1 and 355 type 2) were divided into the negative group (432 cases, CA19-9 < 37 U /ml) and the positive group (31 cases, CA19-9 ≥ 37 U /ml). The two groups were compared with age, sex, duration of diabetic history, hemoglobin A1c, blood lipid, fasting C-peptide level, and area under the curve C-peptide. The difference was significant between 2 groups in age, hemoglobin A1c, total cholesterol, highdensity lipoprotein cholesterol, fasting C-peptide level, and area under the curve C-peptide (P < 0.05). A multivariate linear regression model found that the type of diabetes, hemoglobin A1c, area under the curve C-peptide, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol are the independent contributors to CA19-9 levels. Conclusion: The results indicated that CA19-9 levels in patients with diabetes mellitus were related to not only age and sex but also diabetic type, hemoglobin A1c, lipid metabolism, and pancreatic beta cell function.