Coronary risk and dyslipidemia in type 2 diabetic patients

A prospective study was carried out to find out the percentage of dyslipidemia in type 2 diabetics, to study the pattern of dyslipidemia, categorize the levels of LDL, HDL and triglycerides into higher, borderline and lower risk of developing coronary heart disease in type 2 diabetics and to compare the lipid profile with non-diabetics.

Five hundred patients of type 2 diabetes mellitus and 150 age, sex and BMI matched non-diabetic healthy individuals were studied. The labelling of dyslipidemia and the categorization of risk for developing coronary heart disease (CHD) was done according to the guidelines of American Diabetes Association (ADA, 1998).

Dyslpidemia was present in 89% of diabetic patients with LDL hyperlipoproteinemia (LDL > 100 mg%) in 76%, HDL dyslipidemia (HDL < 35 mg%) in 58%, hypertriglyceridemia (TG > 200 mg%) in 22% patients. On analysing CHD risk based on lipid profile, it was revealed that in LDL moiety 48% fell in higher risk of CHD (LDL > 130 mg%), 28% in borderline risk (LDL 100-130 mg%) and 24% (LDL < 100 mg%) in lower risk. For HDL 18.5% fell in higher risk (HDL < 35 mg%) and TG only 0.5% fell in higher risk (TG > 400 mg%). The lipid profile was significantly altered in diabetic patients as compared to non diabetics.

The major concern which our study highlights is the high percentage of LDL dyslipidemia majority of whom fell in higher risk of developing CHD. Triglyceride and HDL levels were of lesser significance when newer ADA (1998) criteria for dyslipidemia were applied.