Serum high density lipoprotein in diabetic patients.

The purpose of the present investigation was the study of HDL lipoprotein changes in patients with diabetes mellitus. The comparison was made between 40 normal and 109 diabetic subjects and the following data was obtained: relative HDL concentration (polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis), HDL-cholesterol and apolipoprotein A concentrations. We found significant decreases in HDL (18-28%) and HDL-cholesterol (31-40 mg/100 ml) in most diabetics except in those with normalized serum levels of glucose and lipids (34% and 50 mg/100 ml respectively). There was a statistically significant difference in HDL and HDL-cholesterol concentrations between patients in the latter group and other diabetic patients. There was a negative correlation between HDL and HDL-cholesterol and serum glucose levels. No statistically significant difference was found when apolipoprotein A was compared in normal and diabetic subjects. Our results suggest that a deficient binding of cholesterol to apoprotein A might be present in diabetes.