Plasma Interleukin-18 Concentrations Are Elevated in Type 2 Diabetes
- Katherine Esposito, MD,
- Raffaele Marfella, MD, PHD and
- Dario Giugliano, MD, PHD
- From the Department of Geriatrics and Metabolic Diseases, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy
- Address correspondence to Katherine Esposito, MD, Dipartimento di Geriatria e Malattie del Metabolismo, Policlinico Universitario, Piazza L. Miraglia, 80138 Napoli, Italy. E-mail: katherine.esposito{at}unina2.it
We read with interest the article by Aso et al. (1) showing greater plasma concentrations of interleukin-18 (IL-18) in type 2 diabetic patients compared with matched control subjects. While the authors found no significant associations between fasting levels of IL-18 and homeostasis model assessment, a measure of insulin resistance, they found associations between IL-18 and C-reactive protein concentrations. Moreover, carotid intima-media thickness, a validated surrogate measure of atherosclerosis, was greater in diabetic patients with high IL-18 than in those with normal IL-18. As …
