Background: This study evaluated the lipid abnormalities associated with different stages of albuminuria in type 2 diabetic patients.
Methods and results: A total of 549 patients (245 men and 304 women) with mean age of 63.4 were studied. Normoalbuminuria (n=251), microalbuminuria (n=242) and macroalbuminuria (n=56) were defined as albumin-to-creatinine ratio of < 30, 30-299 and > or = 300 microg/mg, respectively. Lipid parameters included total cholesterol, triglyceride (TG), high- and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, apolipoproteins A1 and B (ApoB), and lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)]. Results showed that ApoB differed significantly (p<0.05) between normoalbuminuria and microalbuminuria/macroalbuminuria and Ln[Lp(a)] differed between normoalbuminuria/microalbuminuria and macroalbuminuria. Ln(TG) increased progressively with increasing albuminuria. In multivariate logistic regression analyses, only ApoB showed significant odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for microalbuminuria: 1.013 (1.004-1.022); and both ln(TG) and ln[Lp(a)] were significant for macroalbuminuria [respective odds ratios: 1.995 (1.010-3.938) and 1.708 (1.200-2.430)].
Conclusions: A differential dyslipidemia is observed for microalbuminuria and macroalbuminuria. Apo(B) and Lp(a) increase at the stages of microalbuminuria and macroalbuminuria, respectively. However, TG increases significantly throughout the three stages of albuminuria.