Body mass index (BMI)-residualized data uncovers a cluster of people with type 2 diabetes and increased serum ferritin protected from cardiovascular disease
Authors' conclusion
Individuals with type 2 diabetes who exhibit higher-than-expected serum ferritin levels relative to their BMI may have a lower risk of cardiovascular events. These findings suggest that ferritin may play a more complex role in cardiovascular risk than previously assumed and highlight the potential for refined risk stratification strategies in type 2 diabetes management.
Study context
- Population
- Individuals diagnosed with T2D at age ≥35, recruited 2010–2021, primary care registry in Catalonia, Spain; followed ≥10 years
- Participants
- 49,506 individuals
- Exposure
- Cluster with discordantly high serum ferritin relative to BMI vs other clusters
- Outcome
- Cerebrovascular events, coronary events and composite MACE
Methodological detailsmulticentre, population-based, data-driven clustering
- Multicentre
- Population-based
- Data-driven clustering
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Cardiovascular outcomes in cluster with high ferritin relative to BMI
- Men, cerebrovascular events: HR
- 0.68 (95% CI 0.53-0.87)
- Men, coronary events: HR
- 0.65 (95% CI 0.49-0.88)
- Men, major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE): HR
- 0.68 (95% CI 0.56-0.83)
- Women, cerebrovascular events: HR
- 0.81 (95% CI 0.67-0.92)
- Women, coronary events: HR
- 0.73 (95% CI 0.57-0.95)
- Women, MACE: HR
- 0.79 (95% CI 0.67-0.92)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
BMI-residualized data uncovers a cluster of people with type 2 diabetes and increased serum ferritin protected from cardiovascular disease. Cardiovasc Diabetol. Published 26 March 2025. doi:10.
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