Serum lipids in diabetes mellitus

Levels of fasting plasma glucose, haemoglobin A1, serum total lipids, serum triglycerides and serum cholesterol of the Libyan noninsulin dependent diabetic patients attending the outpatient clinic of the diabetes hospital, Tripoli, Libyd were determined. The respective mean values were 219 +/- 4.9 mg.dl-1, 9 +/- 0.26%, 912 +/- 23.8 mg.dl-1, 157.9 +/- 6.0 mg.dl-1 and 186 +/- 3.5 mg.dl-1 respectively. The mean body mass index was 27.6 +/- 0.45 kg.m-2. 37.5% of the male patients and 72% of the female patients were obese. Obesity as well as the levels of serum total lipids, triglycerides and cholesterol are higher in the females as compared with their male counterparts. Statistically significant correlations were present between fasting plasma glucose concentrations or body mass index and serum levels of total lipids or triglycerides or cholesterol. These correlations suggest the relationship between diabetes and lipid metabolism

Prevalence of secondary complications in Libyan diabetic patients

Seventy two Libyan diabetic patients with type II diabetes were clinically examined for the presence of secondary complications. These patients were attending the outpatient clinic of the diabetes hospital, Tripoli, libya after overnight fasting. 39% of them have eye disorders [background or proliferative retinopathy with or without cataract], 26.4% have autonomic neuropathy, 19% have vescular complications [microangiopathy or peripheral vascular disease] and 3% have nephropathy. The mean levels of fasting plasma glucose, body mass index and heart rate of these patients were 234 +/- 10 mg/di,30.7 +/- 0.7 kg/m2 and 78 +/- 1.7 beats/minute respectively. 32 patients have heart rate higher than 75 beats/min while 7 patients have lower than 65 beats/min. it is suspected that autonomic neuropathy might be the cause for these changes in the heart rate. Duration of diabetes appears to play some role in the onset and and progression of diabetic secondary complications especially in obese patients with poor metabolic control. Nephropathy and proliferative retinopathy seem to develop in the advanced stages of the disease. The responders [those with fasting plasma glucose less than 200 mg/di and Hb A1 less than 10%] have significantly lower levels of serum triglycerides, blood urea, serum creatinine and higher rate of creatinine clearance as well as lower mean/BMI score when compared with the nonresponders [those with plasma glucose levels higher than 200 mg/dl and Hb A1 more than 10%]. However, the levels of serum cholesterol of birth groups were not significantly different