Diabetes Care, Vol 22, Issue 1 93-98, Copyright © 1999 by American Diabetes Association
Peripheral atherosclerosis and serum lipoprotein(a) in diabetes
F Wollesen, G Dahlen, L Berglund and C Berne
Department of Internal Medicine, Uppsala University Hospital, Sweden. flemming.wollesen@medicin.uu.se
OBJECTIVE: Serum lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] is strongly associated with
atherosclerosis in nondiabetic individuals. To see if atherosclerosis is
also associated with serum Lp(a) in both IDDM and NIDDM, we determined the
correlation between the toe systolic blood pressure index (TSPI) and serum
Lp(a) in tightly controlled diabetic patients without nephropathy. RESEARCH
DESIGN AND METHODS: Cross-sectional study of 57 IDDM and 35 NIDDM patients.
All patients had been under strict glycemic control for at least 6 months.
The main outcome measure was TSPI of both lower extremities. In addition,
we measured serum Lp(a) and other serum lipids, serum uric acid, total
plasma homocysteine, plasma C-peptide, HbA1c, albumin excretion rate,
glomerular filtration rate, BMI, abdominal fat distribution, left
ventricular hypertrophy, probabilities for cardiovascular disease (CVD),
and routine clinical parameters. RESULTS: TSPI was closely and
independently related to serum Lp(a) in IDDM patients: R2 = 0.2999, partial
P = 0.0005, and in NIDDM patients: R2 = 0.7326, partial P = 0.0030. TSPI
was associated with symptoms of CVD. Median serum Lp(a) concentration was
normal in IDDM (45 mg/l [range 10-870]) and NIDDM (72 mg/l [11-803])
patients. CONCLUSIONS: Systemic atherosclerosis measured as the degree of
peripheral occlusive arterial disease is strongly associated with serum
Lp(a) in both IDDM and NIDDM patients. Serum Lp(a), however, is normal in
both types of diabetic patients. Thus, it is indicated that serum Lp(a)
should be measured in diabetic patients when assessing their risk profile
for atherosclerosis.