THE LEVEL OF AUTOANTIBODIES AGAINST OXIDIZED LDL IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH THE PRESENCE OF CORONARY HEART-DISEASE OR DIABETIC KIDNEY-DISEASE IN PATIENTS WITH NON-INSULIN-DEPENDENT DIABETES-MELLITUS

Oxidation of low-density Lipoprotein (LDL) may be an important factor in the development of diabetic macrovascular and renal complications. The level of autoantibodies against oxidized LDL (oxLDL-Ab) can be use d as an index of LDL oxidation in vivo. The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between the level of oxLDL-Ab and the p resence of coronary heart disease and renal dysfunction in patients wi th non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). We determined the plasma levels of oxLDL-Ab in 46 NIDDM patients and 48 well matched non diabetic control subjects. NIDDM patients had a moderately higher leve l of oxLDL-Ab than control subjects (0.083 +/- 0.051 vs. 0.062 +/- 0.0 45, p = 0.04). However, there was no difference in the level of oxLDL- Ab between subjects with and without coronary heart disease, and the l evel of oxLDL-Ab was not associated with indices of glomerular filtrat ion rate or urinary albumin excretion.