LIPID PROFILE CHANGES ACCORDING TO THE SE VERITY OF RENAL DYSFUNCTIONIN PATIENTS WITH INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES-MELLITUS

This study focused on lipid profile changes in Type I diabetes mellitu s, evaluating their nature and degree according to the severity of ren al dysfunction,, and investigating their potential involvement in the development and progression of diabetic nephropathy. Total cholesterol , LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides, and apolipoprotein B levels were hig her in subjects with than without incipient nephropathy (total cholest erol, 58 +/- 1.01 versus 5.27 +/- 1.08 mmol/L, p<0.001; LDL-cholestero l, 3.62 +/- 0.90 versus 3.20 +/- 0.86 mmol/L, p<0.001; triglycerides, 1.46 +/- 1.04 versus 1.15 +/- 0.51 mmol/L, p<0.04; apo B, 1.21 +/- 0.3 4 versus 1.07 +/- 0.26 g/L, p<0.01). Levels of Lp(a), LPA1, HDL-choles terol, and apolipoprotein Al were not significantly different between these two groups. Although patients with incipient nephropathy were ol der and had longer durations of diabetes, these two parameters had lit tle effect in statistical models. Lipid profiles were not significantl y different in patients with microalbuminuria greater than 300 mg/24 h and in those with incipient nephropathy. Should confirmatory evidence that dyslipidemia is involved in the genesis of diabetic nephropathy be obtained, the potential efficacy of lipid-lowering agents in preven ting renal damage would deserve investigation.