title: Blood lipids in 75,048 type 2 diabetic patients: a population-based survey from the Swedish National diabetes register.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Type 2 diabetes and diabetic dyslipidemia are high-risk conditions for cardiovascular disease. However, the description of the distribution of blood lipids in diabetic patients has not been based on population-based surveys. The aim of this study was to describe diabetic dyslipidemia in a large unselected sample of patients from the Swedish National Diabetes Register.
  
  
  METHODS
  Blood lipid profiles and clinical characteristics in 75,048 type 2 diabetic patients (57% men) were studied.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pronounced hypertriglyceridemia (triglycerides >4.0mmol/l) was seen in 3.4% of the patients. Total cholesterol (TC), LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) and non-HDL-C were generally higher, and LDL-C/HDL-C and Non-HDL-C/HDL-C ratios were lower in women. Mean TC, LDL-C as well as HDL-C values were lower in patients treated with lipid-lowering agents, whereas triglycerides was higher than in the untreated patients. In patients not treated with lipid-lowering agents all blood lipids increased in women and decreased in men (except HDL-C) at higher ages. Patients with LDL-C/HDL-C ratio ≥ 3 were slightly younger, less frequently used lipid-lowering drugs and had not so often a history of coronary heart disease or stroke.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The distribution of blood lipids in this large sample of unselected type 2 diabetic patients challenges the previous conception of diabetic dyslipidemia, and calls for new studies to explain the roles of LDL-C and HDL-C as strong cardiovascular risk factors in type 2 diabetes.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Centre for Metabolism and Endocrinology, Karolinska Institute at Karolinska University Hospital, Huddinge, Sweden.
authors.forename: Mats
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eriksson
authors.forename: Björn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zethelius
authors.forename: Katarina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Eeg-Olofsson
authors.forename: Peter M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Nilsson
authors.forename: Soffia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gudbjörnsdottir
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cederholm
authors.forename: Björn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Eliasson
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D012042:Registries; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents; D008055:Lipids; D014280:Triglycerides