[Plasma fatty acids, lipids, lipoprotein and macroangiopathy]

Epidemiological studies have elucidated that diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the risk factors of coronary heart disease and that DM often accompanies dyslipidemia. Dyslipidemia in DM can be classified as either quantitative or qualitative. Although dyslipdemia in DM is affected by the type of DM and glycemic conditions, the characteristics of dyslipidemia in DM, especially in NIDDM are the increase in triglycerides accompanied by the decrease in HDL-cholesterol level. Recently, new commercial kits for measurement of atherogenic lipoproteins which increase in DM are clinically available. The usefulness of these kits in DM was reviewed. Polyacrylamide electrophoresis can detect IDL and Lp(a) qualitatively. It has also become possible to estimate Lp(a) quantitatively by ELISA, TIA and LIA methods. Remnant lipoprotein can be measured in the fraction unbound to anti-apo A1 and anti-apo B100 antibodies by immunoaffinity gel analysis. Apoproteins, apoprotein E phenotype, post-heparin lipoprotein lipase, and Lp AI (HDL with apo AI and without apo AII) can be measured by the commercially available kits. Modified LDLs (glycated, oxidative) increase in DM, but their measurements remain complicated at the moment. Analysis of plasma fatty acids by gaschromatography is useful for dietary assessment. The measurement of these new markers seems to be useful to assess the extent of atherogenic risk in DM.