Cardiovascular Risk and Inflammatory Hematological Indices in Men with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus With and Without Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Sumaya Abobaker Alghnaei; Emran Mohammed Bilhajjah; Fatimah Mohammed Basha; Salimah Jummah Abraheem

doi:10.64943/ljmas.2026.040402

Authors

Sumaya Abobaker Alghnaei Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Medical Technology, Wadi Alshatti University https://orcid.org/0009-0005-4099-1376
Emran Mohammed Bilhajjah Medical laboratory Department, Collage of Medical Technology, University, Brack, Libya https://orcid.org/0009-0007-2868-8563
Fatimah Mohammed Basha Medical laboratory Department, Collage of Medical Technology, University, Brack, Libya
Salimah Jummah Abraheem Medical laboratory Department, Collage of Medical Technology, University, Brack, Libya

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.64943/ljmas.2026.040402

Keywords:

T2DM, rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease, Framingham Risk Score, Castelli Risk Index, Inflammatory biomarkers

Abstract

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are chronic inflammatory and metabolic disorders independently associated with increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. Their coexistence may further increase cardiovascular risk through persistent systemic inflammation and metabolic alterations. This study aimed to evaluate selected hematological and inflammatory biomarkers in patients with T2DM and investigate their association with concomitant RA and cardiovascular risk. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 60 male patients attending Traghen Teaching Hospital, Libya, between August and November 2024. Participants were equally divided into two groups: T2DM alone (n = 30) and T2DM with concomitant RA (n = 30). Blood samples were analyzed for complete blood count (CBC) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), while serum samples were assessed for total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and rheumatoid factor (RF). The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), and systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI) were calculated. Cardiovascular risk was assessed using the Framingham Risk Score (FRS) and Castelli Risk Index I (CRI-I). The FRS was significantly higher in patients with T2DM and concomitant RA than in those with T2DM alone (P = 0.003). The CRI-I was also not significantly higher in the RA group. No significant differences were observed in leukocyte, lymphocyte, monocyte, or granulocyte counts or in NLR, PLR, SII, and SIRI between the groups, although these indices generally showed higher values in patients with concomitant RA. RDW-SD was significantly lower in the RA group, indicating hematological alterations associated with chronic inflammatory activity. Overall, patients with T2DM and concomitant RA exhibited greater predicted cardiovascular risk than those with T2DM alone. The FRS and CRI-I appeared to provide greater discriminatory potential for cardiovascular risk than CBC-derived inflammatory indices in this population. Combining conventional cardiovascular risk measures with hematological parameters may improve early cardiovascular risk identification and stratification in patients with coexisting T2DM and RA.

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