Serum lipoprotein(a) and high sensitivity C reactive protein levels in Saudi patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus and their relationship with glycemic control

Aim: To study serum lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] and high sensitivity C reactive protein (hsCRP) levels in Saudi patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and their relationship with glycemic control. Materials and methods: A total of 201 subjects were selected for the study. The final selection included 103 patients with type 2 DM (64 males and 39 females) and 98 healthy control subjects (58 males and 40 females). Fasting venous blood samples were analyzed for glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), lipids, Lp(a), and hsCRP levels. Results: Subjects with poor glycemic control showed significantly higher levels of fasting blood glucose levels (10.29 +/- 3.56 vs. 7.05 +/- 1.64, P = 0.0001) and HbA1c (9.72 +/- 2.54 vs. 6.56 +/- 0.51, P = 0.0001). Moreover, subjects with poor glycemic control were more obese than those with good glycemic control (BMI 30.63 +/- 5.32 vs. 28.52 +/- 4.93 P = 0.04010). It was observed that the diabetics with poor glycemic control had significantly higher levels of serum triglycerides (2.32 +/- 1.26 vs. 1.67 +/- 1.37, P = 0.0426), and hsCRP (5.16 +/- 3.29 vs. 3.97 +/- 2.5, P = 0.0423) compared with the good glycemic control group. While the difference for TC, LDL, HDL, and Lp(a) was nonsignificant, significant positive correlations were observed between HbA1c, BMI (r = 0.247, P = 0.038), TG (r = 0.247, P = 0.044), and hsCRP (r = 0.326, P = 0.006). Conclusion: Diabetic patients have higher levels of hsCRP and Lp(a) than healthy individuals. Diabetic patients with poor glycemic control have significantly higher hsCRP levels compared to those with good glycemic control. However, there is no effect of glycemic control on Lp(a) levels.