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Immunology

Serum Interleukin-6 in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Ternate City: A Cross-Sectional Study

Rony Puasa Program Studi Teknologi Laboratorium Medis, Politeknik Kesehatan Kemenkes Ternate, Ternate, Indonesia, Indonesia Correspondence Rony_yani@yahoo.co.id
,
Aan Yulianingsih Anwar Program Studi Teknologi Laboratorium Medis, Politeknik Kesehatan Kemenkes Ternate, Ternate, Indonesia, Indonesia Correspondence aanyulianingsih@rocketmail.com
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Fahria Program Studi Teknologi Laboratorium Medis, Politeknik Kesehatan Kemenkes Ternate, Ternate, Indonesia, Indonesia Correspondence fahria.poltekkes.ternate@gmail.com
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Artati Program Studi Teknologi Laboratorium Medis, Politeknik Kesehatan Kemenkes Makassar, Makassar, Indonesia, Indonesia Correspondence artati@poltekkes-mks.ac.id
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Zulfikar Ali Hasan Program Studi Teknologi Laboratorium Medis, Politeknik Kesehatan Kemenkes Makassar, Makassar, Indonesia, Indonesia Correspondence fikaroxy@gmail.com
Pages 203-218
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Abstract

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a chronic metabolic disease associated with an increased risk of several cancers, and chronic low-grade inflammation mediated by interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a proposed mechanistic pathway linking the two conditions. This analytical cross-sectional study aimed to describe serum IL-6 concentrations among adults with T2DM in Ternate City and to examine their association with clinical characteristics, involving 90 T2DM patients recruited by purposive sampling from four primary health centers (Puskesmas Siko, Kalumpang, Kalumata, and Kota) in Ternate City. Serum IL-6 was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and analyzed using Spearman correlation and chi-square/exact tests with Cramer's V effect size, with an exploratory cut-off of 40.30 pg/mL adapted from another population and assay, since the kit has no manufacturer-defined reference value. The mean IL-6 level was 60.76±81.46 pg/mL (median 34.0; range 2-470 pg/mL), and 33.3% were at or above the exploratory threshold. IL-6 was not significantly correlated with random blood glucose (r=0.101; p=0.341) or age (r=0.161; p=0.129), nor associated with treatment type or comorbidity/complication status (p>0.05). IL-6 category was significantly associated with diabetes duration (Fisher–Freeman–Halton exact p<0.001; Cramer's V=0.470, moderate-to-strong), with elevated levels concentrated among patients with 6-10 years of disease duration, corroborated by a Kruskal–Wallis test (H=25.0, p<0.001). Other associations and the cut-off are exploratory; the cross-sectional design cannot establish whether IL-6 is a marker of future cancer risk, which requires longitudinal study.

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How to Cite This

Puasa, R., Anwar, A. Y., Fahria, Artati, & Zulfikar Ali Hasan. (2026). Serum Interleukin-6 in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Ternate City: A Cross-Sectional Study. Jurnal Teknologi Laboratorium, 15(2), 203–218. https://doi.org/10.29238/teknolabjournal.v15i2.799

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All data generated during this study are included in this published article [and its supplementary information files].