Correlation between Lipoprotein(a) Concentration and Severity of Coronary Artery Disease in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Objective: To observe the correlation of lipoprotein (a)[Lp(a)] level and the extent, and severity of coronary artery lesions in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Methods: A total of 163 patients with angiographically documented CAD were divided into two groups including moderate stenosis group (n=19) and severe stenosis group (n=114) according to the severity of coronary artery lesion. The patients were divided into three groups including mono-vessel group (n=31), bi-vessel group (n=48) and multi-vessel group (n=84) according to the extent of coronary artery lesions. Fifty-four subjects without CAD were included in control group. The serum levels of Lp(a), total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), apolipoprotein A-I (ApoA-I) and apolipoprotein B ApoB were measured and compared between groups. Results: The levels of Lp(a) were significantly higher in moderate stenosis group and severe stenosis group compared with that of control group. There was no significant difference in the level of Lp(a) between moderate stenosis group and severe stenosis group. The levels of Lp(a) were significantly higher in mono-vessel group, bi-vessel group and multi-vessel group than that of control group.And the level of Lp(a) was higher in multi-vessel group than that of mono-vessel group and bi-vessel group. There were no differences in levels of TC, TG, HDL-C, LDL-C, ApoA-I and ApoB between groups. Logistic regression analysis indicated that Lp(a) level was independently associated with the extent, and severity of coronary artery lesions in type 2 diabetic patients with CAD. Conclusion: The data suggest that Lp(a) level is helpful in determining the extent and severity of coronary artery lesions in type 2 diabetic patients with CAD.