Irisin in elderly people with hypertension, diabetes mellitus type 2, and overweight and obesity

This study aimed to investigate the irisin levels in elderly patients with hypertension, diabetes mellitus type 2, and overweight and obesity, to investigate the possible association between irisin levels and anthropometric and biochemical parameters, and also to assess the irisin levels associated with a risk of hypertension, diabetes mellitus type 2, and overweight and obesity. A nested case-control study was conducted, with hypertension, diabetes mellitus type 2, and overweight and obesity being set as the case group; 71 elderly patients from the cohort were enrolled in each case group, and 71 healthy elderly from the cohort were included in the control group. The anthropometric and biochemical parameters were measured in all elderly, and irisin levels were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The irisin levels were significantly lower in patients with hypertension, diabetes mellitus type 2, and overweight and obesity than in controls (p < 0.001). Irisin levels were negatively correlated with body mass index, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, fasting blood glucose, cholesterol, triglyceride, and alanine aminotransferase. Moreover, the model adjusted for body mass index, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, and fasting blood glucose showed that increasing irisin levels were associated with a reduced risk of hypertension, diabetes mellitus type 2, and overweight and obesity. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis showed that the area under the curve was 0.779 for hypertension, 0.976 for diabetes mellitus type 2, and 0.957 for overweight and obesity. Irisin may thus play a role in blood pressure and blood glucose regulation.