Association between glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and the lipid profile in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus at a tertiary care hospital: a retrospective study

Sami Hamdan Alzahrani; Mukhtiar Baig; Mooataz Mohammed Aashi; Faisal Khaled Al-Shaibi; Dalya Abdulrahman Alqarni; Wael Hassan Bakhamees

doi:10.2147/DMSO.S222271

Association between glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and the lipid profile in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus at a tertiary care hospital: a retrospective study

Diabetes Metab Syndr Obes. 2019 Aug 29:12:1639-1644. doi: 10.2147/DMSO.S222271. eCollection 2019.

Authors

Sami Hamdan Alzahrani¹, Mukhtiar Baig², Mooataz Mohammed Aashi³, Faisal Khaled Al-Shaibi⁴, Dalya Abdulrahman Alqarni⁴, Wael Hassan Bakhamees⁴

Affiliations

¹ Family Medicine Department, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
² Department of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Rabigh, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
³ Pediatric Department, King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Background: To investigate the association between glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and the lipid profile in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) at a tertiary care hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (SA).

Methods: The present retrospective cross-sectional study was accomplished at the Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University (KAU), Jeddah, SA, between April and July 2018. There were 206 T2DM patients selected for the study (141 females and 65 males), and the data were collected through a review of the electronic profiles of patients by using the medical electronic file system used at the KAU Hospital. Biochemical data such as fasting plasma glucose (FPG), HbA1c and lipid profile, along with the patient's age, BMI and gender, were also taken from the electronic file system. The inclusion criteria allowed for only patients who were regularly seeing their physician and whose electronic file was up to date.

Results: The participants' data were analyzed gender-wise. The females had significantly higher values for BMI (p=0.002), HbA1c (p=0.009), triglycerides (TGs) (p<0.001), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (p=0.002) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) (p<0.001) compared to the males. The study subjects were grouped according to their level of HbA1c (good glycemic index <7%, and poor glycemic index >7%). In both groups, no significant differences were found in any of the parameters other than TGs (p=0.020) and HbA1c (p<0.001). An analysis of the correlation between HbA1c and other parameters exhibited a significant correlation with TG (r=0.16, p=0.020), while no significant relationship was observed with the other variables. The linear regression results indicated that HbA1c values were associated with TGs (p=0.020) and were independent of age, BMI, TC, LDL-C, HDL-C and FPG levels.

Conclusion: The glycated Hb was associated with TGs, and no significant association was found with age, BMI, TC, LDL-C, HDL-C and FPG levels.

Keywords: DMT2; dyslipidemia; glycated hemoglobin; glycemic control; lipid profile.