Screening of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for SLC30A8 (rs13266634) Variant Associated with Disease Susceptibility

Objective: To evaluate the association of the SLC30A8 rs13266634 variant with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (T2DM) susceptibility among patients in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Methods: A case-control study design was employed involving 100 each T2DM patients and healthy controls. Demographic and clinical features were recorded. The SLC30A8 rs13266634 variant was genotyped using PCR-RFLP. Statistical analyses, including binary logistic regression, were conducted to determine the association between the variant and T2DM, adjusting for age, gender, family history, and lifestyle factors. Results: The study cohort comprised predominantly males (65% in cases, 75% in controls) with a mean age of 53±9 years. T2DM patients exhibited a higher prevalence of concurrent conditions such as high blood pressure compared to controls. Genotyping revealed a significant association of the rs13266634 variant allele with T2DM. Individuals carrying variant CT and TT genotype had a 2.12 times higher risk (95% CI: 1.16-4.12, P=0.025) of T2DM compared to that of wild CC type. This association remained significant upon adjustment for confounders, with an adjusted odds ratio of 2.890 (95% CI: 2.233-9.76, P=0.02) for CT carriers. Conclusions: The rs13266634 variant in the SLC30A8 is significantly associated with an increased risk of T2DM in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa population