Hyperlipidemia among Saudi diabetic patients - pattern and clinical characteristics

Premature development of atherosclerosis and increased rate of coronary artery and peripheral vascular diseases are characteristic features of patients with diabetes mellitus. Hyperlipidemia is an important precipitating factor for these diseases. Several patterns of lipid alteration among diabetics were described; the most common is hypertriglyceridemia. This study was constructed to look at the pattern of lipid alteration among Saudi diabetic patients. Forty-three percent of diabetic patients were dyslipidemic with an equal distribution of dyslipidemic patients with respect to type of dyslipidemia, i.e., combined hyperlipidemia, hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia. There was a higher percentage of affected female patients with dyslipidemia compared with male patients. This predominance continued when risk factors such as obesity, poor glycemic control, duration and therapy of diabetes mellitus were considered. There is lack of awareness and treatment of dyslipidemic diabetic patients among practicing physicians in spite of the propagated knowledge on the decreased rate of coronary events and regression of atheroma in the vascular walls of the coronary arteries upon treatment of hypercholesterolemia. There is need to periodically screen the diabetic population and implement vigorous therapy for dyslipidemic ones.