CORRELATION BETWEEN SERUM LIPOPROTEIN(A) AND ANGIOGRAPHIC CORONARY-ARTERY DISEASE IN NON-INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES-MELLITUS

Objectives, To examine the impact of diabetic state on the concentrati ons of lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] in patients with non-insulin-dependent d iabetes mellitus (NIDDM) and the correlation between angiographic coro nary artery disease (CAD) and serum Lp(a) concentrations in NIDDM. Des ign, In this cross-sectional study of 26 patients with NIDDM and 19 no ndiabetic sex-and age-matched patients who underwent coronary angiogra phy, CAD was assessed visually using coronary artery score (GAS), and plasma Lp(a) was measured by an enzyme-limited immunosorbent assay. Se tting. The study was performed in an internal medicine clinic at a uni versity hospital. Subjects. Twenty-six age-and sex-matched patients wi th NIDDM and 19 control patients without diabetes. Results, There was no significant difference between the Lp(a) concentrations of patients with NIDDM and nondiabetic subjects (P > 0.05). When patients with NI DDM were stratified by absence or presence of CAD, patients with CAD h ad higher levels of Lp(a) (P < 0.05). However, there was no significan t correlation between the concentrations of Lp(a) and CAS (P > 0.05). Conclusions. Diabetic state does not have any impact on Lp(a) concentr ations. Lp(a) excess seems to be atherogenic in patients with NIDDM as shown in nondiabetic patients in previous studies. Although diabetic patients with CAD have higher Lp(a) concentrations than the diabetic p atients without CAD, Lp(a) levels were not correlated with CAS.