The Correlation between Blood HbA1c and HDL Subclasses in Patients with Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is characterized by a constellation of metabolic disorders. Hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia are the major risk factors of MS. Here we performed a study to explore the association between glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) subclasses in patients with MS.

We included 101 MS patients and 77 healthy subjects in this study. Blood tests were executed to assess the blood glucose and lipid indicators, including HbA1c, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), triglyceride (TG), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), apolipoprotein B100 (apoB100), preβ1-HDL, HDL3b, apoB100/AI, apolipoprotein AI (apoAI), HDL2b and HDL2a. Multivariate linear regression was used to explore potential relationship between HDL subclasses and HbA1c.

Compared with control group, the levels of HbA1c, FPG, TG, TC, LDL-C, apoB100, preβ1-HDL, HDL3b, apoB100/AI and LDL-C/HDL-C were significantly increased in MS subjects (p < 0.01), while plasma concentrations of HDL-C, apoAI, HDL2b and HDL2a were significantly decreased in MS subjects (p < 0.01). With the increase of whole blood HbA1c levels in MS subjects, preβ1-HDL was elevated gradually, while HDL2a was decreased gradually.

Blood HbA1c level is associated with the changes in HDL subclass distribution in patients with MS.