Increased Serum Levels of Lipoprotein(a) in Diabetes Mellitus and Their Reduction With Glycemic Control
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
Excerpt
To the Editor.— It has been said in The Journal1 that serum levels of lipoprotein(a) (Lp[a]) are genetically determined and are poorly influenced either by dietary measures or by hypolipidemic drugs. Substantial epidemiologic2-4 data support a potential relationship between serum levels of Lp(a) and atherosclerotic disease. Atherosclerotic disease is the most common complication of diabetes, especially in case of poor glycemic control5; however, the mechanism whereby such complication arises is not well understood.
We have found high serum levels of Lp(a) in 10 poorly controlled insulin-dependent diabetics when compared with
nondiabetic control subjects (46.1 ±6.3 and 20.6 ±4.9 mg/dL, respectively). Twenty-one days after control of blood glucose levels, Lp(a) levels were dramatically decreased (Table) and a significant correlation was found between the percentage reduction in serum Lp(a) level and the percentage decrease in the concentration of both fasting blood glucose (r=.877; P<.01) and glycosylated
