Serum sclerostin levels in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients: possible correlations with bone metabolism parameters and thrombocytosis

Introduction Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a group of pandemic debilitating metabolic diseases featuring chronic hyperglycemia that results from defective insulin secretion and/or insulin actions. Dame and Sutor reported that diabetic patients are prone to thrombocytosis through a complex interplay of mechanisms. Therefore, the aim of our work is to evaluate serum sclerostin levels in patients with T2DM and to analyze the relationships among sclerostin, bone mineral density (BMD), bone metabolism, and thrombocytosis. Objective This study aimed to evaluate serum sclerostin in T2DM and its correlations with bone metabolism and thrombocytosis. Patients and methods Fifty male T2DM patients were enrolled; they were divided into two groups according to existing thrombocytosis. Forty age-matched men were included as controls. Clinical tests of physical mobility, fasting blood glucose, glycated hemoglobin, calcium, creatinine, parathormone (PTH), 25-hydroxyvitamin D, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BALP), serum carboxy-terminal cross-linked telopeptide of type I collagen (sCTX-I), serum sclerostin, and BMD were performed. Results There were insignificant increases in BMD in diabetic patients versus controls. There were significantly lower levels of PTH, BALP, and sCTX-I in the diabetes mellitus (DM) patient groups compared with the controls (P < 0.001). Serum sclerostin levels were significantly higher in DM patients than the controls, with insignificantly higher sclerostin levels in group II. Serum sclerostin was correlated positively with disease duration and correlated negatively with PTH, BALP, and sCTX-I (P < 0.001). Conclusion Sclerostin plays a role in the pathogenesis of bone changes in T2DM. The interplay between vitamin D, PTH, and blood glucose highlights the possibility of an existing endocrine axis. Finally, the role of osteocytes in regulating hematopoiesis and association with DM and osteoporosis should be investigated further.