Lipid profile patterns associated with pre-diabetes: a comparative study with normoglycemic and diabetic individuals

Lipid profile patterns across glycemic categories

Abstract

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVE: Disturbed glucose metabolism is associated with dyslipidemia, a potent risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Pre-diabetes is the intermediate state between normoglycemia and overt diabetes. Our study aims to find lipid profile patterns associated with pre-diabetes.

METHODOLOGY:This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted at the OPD of Punjab Institute of Cardiology, Lahore. This study included 360 individuals in total, 120 individuals from each glycemic group. Glycemic status was defined using the guidelines of the American Diabetes Association. Blood samples were drawn after overnight fasting and tested for lipid profile parameters and HbA1c. One-way ANOVA was applied to compare lipid profile parameters between glycemic groups. A chi-square test was applied to assess the association between various lipid profile patterns and glycemic groups. Regression analysis was applied to determine the odds of each pattern associated with pre-diabetes.

RESULTS: Lipid abnormalities increased with changes of glycemic status, i.e., 80.2% in the normoglycemic group, 85.8% in the pre-diabetic group and 90.8% in the diabetic group. Isolated low HDL-C, Atherogenic dyslipidemia and mixed dyslipidemia were significantly associated with change in glycemic status. Univariate regression analysis showed that the odds of getting mixed dyslipidemia increased by 250% in pre-diabetes (OR=3.509, 95%CI: 1.783-6.903, p<0.001). After adjustment for confounders, mixed dyslipidemia remained the independent predictor of pre-diabetes (OR=3.114, 95%CI: 1.477-6.566, p=0.003).

CONCLUSION:Qualitative lipid profile abnormalities better define glycemic status. Mixed dyslipidemia is associated with pre-diabetes, while atherogenic lipid profiles are pronounced in diabetes, representing increased cardiovascular risk with worsening glycemic states.