The relation between overweight, obesity and plasma lipids in Saudi adults with type 2 diabetes

Background: Worldwide, epidemic exists with respect to diabetes mellitus, primarily because of increased rates of obesity. Lipoprotein abnormalities are common in overweight and obese patients with diabetes and contribute significantly to its complications. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Primary Health Care Clinics at King Fahad Armed Forces Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. A total of 2519 Saudi diabetic and non-diabetic patients were randomly selected to assess the association of dyslipidaemia and overweight and obesity in type 2 diabetic patients and non-diabetic controls. Patients were subjected to investigations of glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and fasting serum lipids. Results: A total of 2519 patients attending the Primary Health Care Clinics were included in this study (45.9% men, 54.1% women). The diabetic group comprised 50.8% (1280) and non-diabetic group comprised 49.2% (1239) of the sample. The mean ± standard deviation age of diabetic and non-diabetic patients was 37.1 ± 7.7 and 32.1 ± 8.1, respectively. The diabetic patients were older, had higher body mass index, serum triglyceride and HbA1c values were significantly higher when compared to non-diabetic subjects. Whereas, total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein (LDL) and high density lipoprotein (HDL) were significantly lower in diabetics. Nineteen percentage of men and 27% of women with diabetes mellitus had increased total plasma cholesterol levels that did not differ significantly (P = 0.2) from the rates in non-diabetic men and women (21% of men and 34% of women). The prevalence of high LDL cholesterol levels in men and women with diabetes mellitus (23% and 31%, respectively) did not differ significantly (P = 0.4) from the rates in non-diabetic men and women (18% and 28%, respectively). The prevalence of high HDL cholesterol levels in men and women with diabetes mellitus (25% and 27%, respectively) did not differ significantly (P = 0.7) from the rates in non-diabetic men and women (23% and 25%, respectively). In contrast, the prevalence of high plasma triglyceride levels in individuals with diabetes mellitus (30% in men and 32% in women) was significantly higher than in those without diabetes mellitus (21% of men and 16% of women), P = 0.02. Conclusion: The study has documented several lipid abnormalities in type 2 diabetic patients and has pointed the significance of diabetic management in the control of lipid abnormalities where the control over overweight and obesity conditions is of importance. The study revealed that obesity and dyslipidaemia were high among diabetic patients and required special attention. This can be done through health education at the primary care level and at the diabetic clinics