Pattern of Dyslipidemia and Other Risk Factors for Coronary Artery Disease and Macrovascular Complications in Diabetic Patients

Abstract

Objective: To determine the pattern of dyslipidemia and other risk factors and their association
with macrovascular complications in our diabetic patients presenting to OPD (outpatients
department) on routine follow up.
Methods: This study was done in medical outpatients department, Akhter Saeed teaching
hospital, from December 2014 to August 2015. one hundred diabetic patients, male and female,
coming for routine follow up were screened for macrovascular complications, and risk factors like
obesity, hypertension, deranged glucose levels and lipid abnormalities were measured and
analyzed.
Results: Of the one hundred patients recruited for this study, fifty three were females and forty
seven were males. Male patients were more likely to be obese and overweight [5 (10%) and 11
(23%) respectively] than the females [2 (3%) and 10 (19%) respectively]. Males were also more
likely to be hypertensive [24 (51%)] than females [23 (43%)]. The average BP (blood pressure) for
males was (141±44 SD)/ (91±14 SD) mmHg, and (129±41 SD)/ (85±15 SD) mmHg for females.
All the patients had fasting hyperglycemia, however females were having more deranged values
[FBS (141±79 SD) mg/ dl for males and (151±91 SD) mg/ dl for females]. Male patients were
found to have dyslipidemia predominantly in the form of high total and LDL cholesterol or low HDL
cholesterol, while more of the females had hypertriglyceridemia. In this study, high LDL
cholesterol or total cholesterol and low HDL cholesterol were found to be associated with
hypertension and macrovascular complications. Of the 72 among all the 100 patients with
evidence of macrovascular complications, high total cholesterol was seen in 58 (80%) patients
while it was seen in 17 (61%) of the remaining patients. High BMI (Body Mass Index) was also
independent risk factor for hypertension and coronary artery disease in age matched patients.
Increased triglyceride levels did not show any clear correlation with macrovascular
complications.
Conclusion: This study shows increased incidence of lipid abnormalities and other risk factors
in diabetics especially in patients with evidence of macrovascular disease.