It is no secret that there is a strong genetic component to type 1 and type 2 diabetes, this holds solid in the African American community where you can commonly find diabetes running ramped within families. Some researchers believe that inheritance of diabetes, specifically diabetes 2 is more apparent in the black community than any other race.
According to a new study, testing blood for a biological marker called suPAR could help better assess the risk of death among black Americans with type 2 diabetes.
SuPAR, or soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor, is a protein marker that indicates inflammation in the blood. Scientists have used suPAR to help assess the severity of various conditions, particularly kidney disease but also HIV, cancer, and other illnesses.
While elevated suPAR levels have been associated with higher risk of death among people with those diseases, it previously had not been examined closely among those with type 2 diabetes, a major risk factor for both heart and kidney disease.
In a new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, researchers compared suPAR levels to