Association between Dyslipidemia and Glycated Hemoglobin in a Population-Based Study

Diabetes mellitus and dyslipidemia are well-known risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately, the prevalence of dyslipidemia and diabetes mellitus among individuals over 30 years of age in Korea has continuously increased. The current study therefore investigated the association between dyslipidemia and high glycated hemoglobin (Hemoglobin A1c, HbA1c) levels according to age group in adults over 20 years old. We used data from the 7th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey conducted by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 2016 to 2017. Glycated hemoglobin, a well-established marker for elevated glucose levels, was categorized into three groups, normal (<5.7%), prediabetes (5.7-6.4%), and diabetes (≥6.5%). The presence of dyslipidemia was defined based on a diagnosis of dyslipidemia by a physician. Logistic regression analyses were performed to evaluate the association between the prevalence of dyslipidemia and glycated hemoglobin according to age group. After adjusting for possible confounders, including age, sex, body mass index, marital status, education, occupation, household income, drinking, and smoking, we found a significant increase in the odds ratios (ORs) for dyslipidemia in the prediabetes (OR; 1.915, 95% CI; 1.696 to 2.163) and diabetes (OR; 3.533, 95% CI; 3.019 to 4.134) groups. Among subjects with higher glycated hemoglobin levels, those in their 40s or over had significantly increased odds for dyslipidemia. The current study found an association between high glycated hemoglobin levels and a diagnosis of dyslipidemia among Korean adults. Markers of lipid metabolism in adults with high glycated hemoglobin levels may need to be monitored, especially those in their 40s and older.