Association Between Lipid-related Parameters and the Carotid Intima-media Thickness, Relating to Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

 Introduction. Higher carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), 
indicates a greater burden of subclinical atherosclerosis (AS) and 
cardiovascular disease (CVD). The AS is related to insulin resistance 
and lipid oxidation. Detection of reliable and affordable surrogate 
markers and metabolic components for assessing the CVD risk 
is world-shaking. This study aimed to inspect the relationship 
between lipid-related parameters and CIMT, considering the 
impact of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
 Methods. This cross-sectional study was conducted on a total 
of 244 participants (113 men and 131 women), including 118 
diagnosed with diabetes (DM) and 126 without diabetes (non
DM). Duplex ultrasonography parameters, demographic, physical, 
biochemical assessments, and lipid-related parameters were 
measured. Correlation and linear regression analyses assessed 
the relationship between the lipid-related parameters and CIMT.
 Results. The DM patients’ levels of triglyceride-glucose (TyG) 
index were significantly higher than the non-DM ones, however, 
the two groups demonstrated no statistically significant difference 
in CIMT levels. CIMT was correlated with low-density lipoprotein 
(r = 0.33, P = .033) in the DM group and with age (r = 0.41, P < .001) 
in the non-DM group. The multivariate linear regression model 
demonstrated age, TyG-BMI, and LDL/HDL ratio as the significant 
associates of CIMT, with age having the largest standardized 
regression coefficient of 0.311 (P < .001).
 Conclusions. The current study revealed direct associations 
of CIMT with age, TyG-BMI, and LDL/HDL ratio, taking into 
account the DM/non-DM binary among the study participants.