Objective To explore the correlation between serum amyloid A protein (SAA), serum ferritin (SF) and diabetic nephropathy (DKD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods Sixty patients with DKD between March 2017 and September 2018 were enrolled in the study group. In the same period, 60 patients with T2DM without DKD were in the control group, and 60 healthy subjects were included in the healthy group. The urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (UACR) and glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) were measured, calculated, and compared for each patient. Serum levels of SF and SAA were measured. Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between serum SF, SAA levels and eGFR or UACR. Logistic multiple regression analysis was used to analyze the relationship between SF, SAA levels and DKD. Results Serum SF and SAA in the study group were significantly higher than those in the control group and healthy group (P?