Do C-Reactive Protein and Lipoprotein (a) Have Different Impacts on the Severity of Coronary Artery Disease in Diabetic and Non-Diabetic Patients?

Abstract

Background: The potential role of lipoprotein (a) changes and also inflammation in coronary artery disease (CAD) have rendered these processes one of the most interesting objects of study in patients affected by type 2 diabetes mellitus. The aim of the current study was to evaluate lipoprotein (a) and other lipid profiles and also C-reactive protein (CRP) as the predictors of cardiovascular disease severity in non-insulin dependent diabetic subjects in comparison with non-diabetic CAD patients. 

Methods: Between June and September 2004, 372 patients with CAD were enrolled at Tehran Heart Center. Non-insulin dependent diabetics accounted for 102 of the cases, and the remaining 270 were non-diabetics. The severity of CAD was evaluated using the Gensini score, and the effect of patient variables such as serum lipid concentrations and CRP on CAD severity in the diabetics was investigated and compared with that of the non-diabetics.

Results: The mean of the Gensini score, CRP, and serum concentrations of all the lipid profiles were similar between the diabetic and non-diabetic patients. In the diabetic group, a high CRP concentration (β=0.200, Rs= 0.040; P=0.046) was effective on the Gensini score, whereas lipoprotein (a) and lipid profiles did not influence CAD severity. In the non-diabetics, no significant relationships were found between the Gensini score and all the studied laboratory indices.

Conclusion: A high CRP level is an important predictor of the severity of CAD in diabetic patients with CAD.