High-density lipoprotein cholesterol and apolipoprotein A-I levels at diagnosis in patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels were decreased in patients with non-insulin dependent diabetes at diagnosis when matched with a control population for sex, age, obesity, alcohol consumption and cigarette smoking. There was no association between serum HDL-cholesterol concentration and the percentage of glycosylated haemoglobin A₁ (HbA₁). Serum HDL-cholesterol levels were lower in diabetics over the whole range of serum triglyceride levels, and particularly in hypertriglyceridaemic diabetics. Serum apolipoprotein A-I levels were not decreased in diabetics with normal serum triglyceride levels, so that the ratio of HDL cholesterol to apolipoprotein A-I was significantly decreased in diabetics (p<0.005). Decreased HDL cholesterol levels in non-insulin dependent diabetes could be relevant to the subsequent development of atherosclerosis.