Low serum LDL cholesterol in patients with type 2 diabetes An analysis on two different patient populations

• Published in: International journal of cardiology Vol. 144; no. 3; pp. 394 - 398
• Main Authors: SAELY, Christoph H, EBER, Bernd, PFEIFFER, Karl P, DREXEL, Heinz
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Shannon Elsevier 29-10-2010
• Subjects: Aged; Algorithms; Apolipoproteins - blood; Arterial hypertension. Arterial hypotension; Austria; Biological and medical sciences; Biomarkers - blood; Blood and lymphatic vessels; Cardiology. Vascular system; Cholesterol - blood; Cholesterol, HDL - blood; Cholesterol, LDL - blood; Cohort Studies; Coronary Angiography; Coronary Artery Disease - blood; Coronary Artery Disease - diagnostic imaging; Coronary heart disease; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - blood; Diabetes. Impaired glucose tolerance; Endocrine pancreas. Apud cells (diseases); Endocrinopathies; Etiopathogenesis. Screening. Investigations. Target tissue resistance; Female; Heart; Humans; Hypertension - blood; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Risk Factors; Triglycerides - blood; Endocrinopathy; Type 2 diabetes; Human; Hypertension; Biological fluid; Metabolic diseases; Patient; Cardiovascular disease; Coronary heart disease; Coronary artery disease; Cholesterol; Lipoprotein LDL; Lipoproteins; Low; Analysis; Population; Serum; Cardiology; LDL cholesterol
• ISSN: 0167-5273; 1874-1754
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ijcard.2009.04.048

Patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) typically exhibit a pattern of dyslipidemia with high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, and small LDL particles. We aimed at investigating whether also LDL cholesterol levels are altered in diabetic patients.
Lipid panels were obtained in a consecutive series of angiographied coronary patients (n=750), and in a large sample of hypertensive outpatients (n=5949).
T2DM patients in the cohort of coronary patients (n=164; 21.9%) had significantly higher triglycerides (203±138 vs. 153±91 mg/dl; p<0.001), lower HDL cholesterol (44±14 vs. 50±14 mg/dl; p<0.001), lower apolipoprotein A1 (140±28 vs. 148±28 mg/dl; p=0.002), lower total cholesterol (211±48 vs. 220±42 mg/dl; p=0.006) and, importantly, lower LDL cholesterol (122±38 vs. 134±35 mg/dl; p<0.001) than non-diabetic subjects. Whereas apolipoprotein B was similar in T2DM patients as in non-diabetic subjects (113±26 vs. 114±25 mg/dl; p=0.648), the LDL cholesterol/apolipoprotein B ratio was significantly lower (1.08±0.24 vs. 1.18±0.21; p<0.001) and LDL particles were significantly smaller (257±7 vs. 259±6 Å; p<0.001) in T2DM patients. Also among the hypertensive subjects, diabetic patients (n=1632; 27.3%) besides higher triglycerides (173±70 vs. 151±65 mg/dl; p<0.001) and lower HDL cholesterol (53±17 vs. 57±19 mg/dl; p<0.001) exhibited lower total cholesterol (216±44 vs. 222±41 mg/dl; p<0.001) and lower LDL cholesterol (127±40 vs. 136±37 mg/dl; p<0.001) than non-diabetic subjects.
Both among angiographied coronary patients and hypertensive outpatients, LDL cholesterol is significantly lower in T2DM patients than in non-diabetic individuals.