Saliva samples to replace blood tests for diabetes
A saliva sample could soon replace blood tests to diagnose and monitor diabetes, according to a study.
The levels of specific hormones produced by the adipose ( fat) tissues that play a role in metabolic status indicated type-2 diabetes in a group of people screened by scientists at the India Diabetes Research Foundation. While larger clinical studies may be required before this test can be standardized as a diagnostic tool, doctors say evidence now indicates that this non-invasive method may be able to detect type-2 diabetes earlier than serum tests.
Epidemiological data suggest that persons with type 2 diabetes are more susceptible to developing periodontitis—a complex multifactorial inflammatory disease condition affecting the dental tissues said senior diabetologist, Dr. A Ramachandran. A reason why scientists across the world are studying the relationship between the two, he said.
For the cross-sectional study, scientists screened 615 employees of the private sector, above 35 years with no history of diabetes. At least 136 patients with risk factors such as a family history of diabetes or hypertension were included in the study. A standard 75 gram oral glucose tolerance test was done for 90 people. Among these 53% had normal glucose tolerance, 18.9% had impaired glucose tolerance and 27.8 % had diabetes.
All 90 people underwent the dental examination the next day. Serum and salivary concentrations of adipokines—cell signalling molecules produced by fat adiponectin, visfatin, vaspin and apelin were studied. Studies have earlier shown that low concentrations if adiponection, a hormone that fat tissue releases are a strong indicator of diabetes. We found lower concentrations of adipokines in saliva compared to serum. In serum, persons with T2DM had lower levels of adiponectin than in persons without the disorder, said a Dr. Vinitha Ramachandran, who is the first author of the study. Inversely , lower concentrations of serum and salivary visfatin were seen in people with diabetes.