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. 2023 Jan 18;15(1):e33924.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.33924. eCollection 2023 Jan.

Small Dense Low-Density Lipoprotein Level in Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients With Normal Low-Density Lipoprotein

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Small Dense Low-Density Lipoprotein Level in Newly Diagnosed Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients With Normal Low-Density Lipoprotein

Ayesha Juhi et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Background and objective There are three subtypes of low-density lipoprotein (LDL): large buoyant (lb), intermediate, and small dense (sd). Among these LDL subtypes, small dense low-density lipoprotein (sdLDL) has been proven to be an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) encompasses several metabolic abnormalities and patients suffering from T2DM without good glycemic control are prone to develop atherosclerosis. Hence, in T2DM, it is recommended to evaluate blood lipids for early detection of hyperlipidemia to identify the risk. A larger percentage of sdLDL in T2DM patients with an optimal or near-optimal LDL level might be a hidden risk factor for atherosclerosis. Hence, we aimed to find the level of sdLDL cholesterol (sdLDL-C) among newly diagnosed T2DM patients with optimal or near-optimal blood lipids and to compare it with age and sex-matched controls. Materials and methods In this study, we enrolled newly diagnosed T2DM patients from the diabetic clinic of a tertiary care hospital. The patients were then tested for blood lipids, namely, total cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), including sdLDL-C. Then, age and sex-matched controls with similar baseline lipid levels to the T2DM group (without sdLDL-C) were recruited. After recruitment, both groups were measured for blood lipids including sdLDL-C in a single day. The level of sdLDL-C between the groups was tested statistically by the Mann-Whitney U test. Results A total of 50 T2DM patients with a median age of 36 years (Q1-Q3: 33.75-41) were included as the study group and 50 age and sex-matched controls with a median age of 34 years (32-37.25; p = 0.09) were recruited. The median fasting glucose was 165 (Q1-Q3: 145-199.25) mg/dL and 90.5 (Q1-Q3: 87.75-95.25) mg/dL (p < 0.0001) in the study and control groups, respectively. The LDL-C was 109.9 (Q1-Q3: 99.4-119.4) mg/dL and 108.5 (Q1-Q3: 87.55-124.1) mg/dL (p = 0.94) in the study and control groups, respectively. The sdLDL-C was 40.11 (Q1-Q3: 36.28-43.58) mg/dL and 24.64 (Q1-Q3: 22-32.49) mg/dL (p < 0.0001) in the study and control groups, respectively. Conclusion Newly diagnosed T2DM patients with blood lipids within an optimum or near-optimum level may have a higher percentage of sdLDL-C when compared with healthy controls. Hence, they may have a higher risk of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. Clinicians may miss the potential risks if they do not advise the sdLDL-C component of LDL-C while advising for the test for blood lipid.

Keywords: atherosclerosis; cardiovascular diseases; cholesterol; diabetes mellitus; ldl cholesterol; lipoproteins; low-density lipoprotein; serum lipid profile; small dense low-density lipoprotein.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Recruitment of the research participants in the study group
FBS: fasting blood sugar; HbA1c: glycated hemoglobin.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Comparative atherogenicity of small dense low-density lipoprotein and large buoyant low-density lipoprotein
LDL: low-density lipoprotein; sdLDL: small dense low-density lipoprotein; lbLDL: large buoyant low-density lipoprotein. This figure was made by the corresponding author after reviewing references [13-15].

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