Background: Starting insulin therapy significantly improves overall glycemic control in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients who had not been able to meet their target glycemic control objectives with oral anti-diabetic medication therapy. Objective: To assess impact of initiation of insulin therapy on serum prolactin and cortisol levels in T2DM male patients.
Patients and methods: The study was conducted on 30 male T2DM patients attending diabetes clinic at Ain Shams University Hospitals. All patients were subjected to the following investigations at the time of initiation of insulin therapy: Fasting plasma glucose (FBG). 2 hours post prandial plasma glucose (2HPPBG), Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), serum cortisol (9 a.m.) and serum prolactin.
Results: On studying the correlation between cortisol and prolactin with other laboratory findings showed that there were no significant correlations between cortisol and prolactin, and FBS, 2HPPBG and HbA1C in the first and third visits in group I. No significant correlations between cortisol and prolactin with FBS and 2HPPBG in the second visit in group I. However, there was a significant positive correlation between cortisol with FBS (P=0.028) and HbA1C (P=0.033) in group II. Also, a significant positive correlation between cortisol with FBS (P=0.034) and 2HPPBG (P=0.041) in group III. There was a highly significant positive correlation between cortisol and FBS (P=0.001) in group III. Also, there was a highly significant positive correlation between prolactin and 2HPPBG (P=0.008) in group II.
Conclusion: The present study suggests that initiation of insulin therapy in poorly controlled T2DM patients achieves a highly significant reduction in blood glucose level. Also, insulin therapy in T2DM patients has impact on other hormones regulating blood glucose level as it reduces serum prolactin and cortisol levels.