Lipoprotein risk factors for cardiovascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus treated with oral antihyperglycaemic agents.
OBJECTIVE
To compare lipoprotein risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) treated with a sulphonylurea (SU) compound only, metformin (MET) only, or combined SU + MET.


METHODS
The study population consisted of 62 patients with type 2 DM, whose antihyperglycaemic treatment program had been stable for at least 3 months, divided into three groups: 26 patients in the SU group, 17 patients in the MET group and 19 patients in the SU + MET group. None of the patients were taking lipid-lowering drugs. Fasting venous blood samples were taken to measure concentrations of glucose, total cholesterol, triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) and remnant lipoprotein-cholesterol (RLP-C) as well as for determination of LDL particle diameter.


RESULTS
The three groups were similar in terms of age, gender, body mass index and fasting plasma glucose concentrations. Total cholesterol concentrations were significantly lower (p < 0.05 for trend) in those treated with SU + MET as compared with the other two groups. However, there were no significant differences between the three groups in their plasma concentrations of TG, LDL-C, HDL-C or RLP-C; furthermore, the proportion of individuals within each treatment group with small LDL particle diameter was also not different.


CONCLUSIONS
The lipoprotein profile of patients with type 2 DM, matched for level of fasting hyperglycaemia, was similar irrespective of treatment with SU alone, MET alone or SU + MET. Thus, we could not identify any changes in lipoprotein metabolism that could account for differences in risk of CVD as a function of treatment.
Chu
J W
JW
Department of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.
Abbasi
F
F
McLaughlin
T L
TL
Lamendola
C
C
Schaaf
P
P
Carlson
T H
TH
Leary
E T
ET
Reaven
G M
GM
D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy*; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008687:Metformin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D013453:Sulfonylurea Compounds / Q000627:therapeutic use
D001786:Blood Glucose; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents; D008074:Lipoproteins; D013453:Sulfonylurea Compounds; D008687:Metformin; D002784:Cholesterol