Ethnic and gender differences in advanced glycation end products measured by skin auto-fluorescence

• Published in: Dermato-endocrinology Vol. 5; no. 2; pp. 325 - 330
• Main Authors: Mook-Kanamori, Marjonneke J, Selim, Mohammed M El-Din, Takiddin, Ahmed H, Al-Homsi, Hala, Al-Mahmoud, Khoulood A S, Al-Obaidli, Amina, Zirie, Mahmoud A, Rowe, Jillian, Gherbi, Wafaa Sekkal, Chidiac, Omar M, Kader, Sara Abdul, Al Muftah, Wadha A, McKeon, Cindy, Suhre, Karsten, Mook-Kanamori, Dennis O
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Taylor & Francis 01-04-2013; Taylor & Francis Ltd; Landes Bioscience
• Subjects: advanced glycation endproducts; Advanced glycosylation end products; Cardiovascular diseases; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus (non-insulin dependent); epidemiology; Ethnicity; Gender; gender differences; Glycosylation; Metabolomics; Minority & ethnic groups; Sex differences; skin auto-fluorescence; Smoking; type 2 diabetes; epidemiology; type 2 diabetes; ethnicity; smoking; advanced glycation endproducts; gender differences; skin auto-fluorescence
• ISSN: 1938-1972; 1938-1980; 1938-1980
• DOI: 10.4161/derm.26046

Background
Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) have been shown to be a predictor of cardiovascular risk in Caucasian subjects. In this study we examine whether the existing reference values are useable for non-Caucasian ethnicities. Furthermore, we assessed whether gender and smoking affect AGEs.
Methods
AGEs were determined by a non-invasive method of skin auto-fluorescence (AF). AF was measured in 200 Arabs, 99 South Asians, 35 Filipinos and 14 subjects of other/mixed ethnicity in the Qatar Metabolomics Study on Diabetes (QMDiab). Using multivariate linear regression analysis and adjusting for age and type 2 diabetes, we assessed whether ethnicity, gender and smoking were associated with AF.
Results
The mean AF was 2.27 arbitrary units (AU) (SD: 0.63). Arabs and Filipinos had a significant higher AF than the South Asian population (0.25 arbitrary units (AU) (95% CI: 0.11‒0.39), p = 0.001 and 0.34 (95% CI: 0.13‒0.55), p = 0.001 respectively). Also, AF was significantly higher in females (0.41 AU (95% CI: 0.29‒0.53), p < 0.001). AF associated with smoking (0.21 AU (95% CI: 0.01‒0.41), p = 0.04) and increased with the number of pack-years smoked (p = 0.02).
Conclusions
This study suggests that the existing reference values should take ethnicity, gender and smoking into account. Larger studies in specific ethnicities are necessary to create ethnic- and gender-specific reference values.