The relationship between cholesterol concentration and carotid intima media thickness differs according to gender and menopausal status in Korean type 2 diabetic patients

Background: We investigated the associations between cardiometabolic factors and carotid intima media thickness (IMT) in Korea type 2 diabetes (T2DM) patients, and assessed the possible difference with respect to gender and menopausal status. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study with 1288 T2DM patients from the Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism at Gangnam Severance Hospital. Carotid IMT and various biochemical parameters were measured, and the postmenopausal status was assessed. Results: In partial correlation analysis, total cholesterol (TC) and LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) were positively correlated with right maximum IMT in men. For postmenopausal women, TC and LDL-C were positively correlated with IMT (all p < 0.05) while no such correlation was observed in premenopausal women. In regression analysis, age was the most predominant factor for IMT in all 3 groups. For men, insulin and TC were predictive factors for maximum IMT (all p < 0.05), and for postmenopausal women, TC and LDL-C were significant factors for mean and maximum IMT (all p < 0.01). However, cholesterol concentrations were not related to all types of IMT in premenopausal women. Conclusion: The association between LDL-C and carotid IMT seems to differ according to gender and menopausal status in T2DM patients. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.