ABSTRACT
To assess the serum lipids and lipoprotein cholesterol in patients with complicated type 2 Diabetes Mellitus [DM]: Hypertensive diabetics and diabetic nephropathy. This is a cross-sectional study. A total of 52 type 2 DM patients and 20 healthy controls were studied. The patients' population consisted of 23 normotensive diabetics, 16 hypertensive diabetics and 13 patients with diabetic nephropathy. The serum total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol and triglycerides were assayed in patients and controls, using standardized assay methods. The mean serum total cholesterol was higher in patients than controls. The normotensive diabetic patients had the lowest total cholesterol among the patients' groups 4.01 +/- 0.82 mmol/L compared to the hypertensive diabetics 6.01 +/- 0.93 mmol/L and the diabetic nephropathy patients 6.90 +/- 1.20 mmol/L, [P<0.0001]. The prevalence of dyslipidaemia in the patients was between 25%-69%, lowest in the normotensive diabetics and highest in the diabetic nephropathy patients. We hope that these findings will draw specific attention to the management of dyslipidaemia in patients with complicated type 2 DM especially diabetic nephropathy and hypertensive diabetics