Association of serum apolipoprotein B48 level with the presence of carotid plaque in type 2 diabetes mellitus

AimsThe atherogenicity of chylomicron remnants has been discussed. We examined whether serum apoB48 level is associated with the presence of carotid plaque in type 2 diabetic patients.MethodForty type 2 diabetic patients (21 males and 19 females, 52.8 ± 11.8 years old; mean ± S.D.) were divided into two groups by the presence or absence of carotid plaque. The diurnal change of serum apoB48 level was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.ResultsFasting serum apoB48 level was higher in the subjects with carotid plaque than those without (6.5 ± 3.8 vs. 4.1 ± 1.9 μg/ml, p = 0.01). Age- and gender-adjusted analysis showed that the presence of carotid plaque was associated with fasting apoB48 (OR 1.43; 95% CI, 1.07–2.09, p = 0.04) and triglyceride (OR 1.14; 95% CI, 1.02–1.32, p = 0.04) levels. In normal LDL-cholesterol (<140 mg/dl) subjects, the presence of carotid plaque was associated with fasting apoB48 level (OR 2.16; 95% CI, 1.22–5.32, p = 0.04), but not associated with fasting triglyceride level (OR 1.11; 95% CI, 0.99–1.30, p = 0.13).ConclusionsSerum apoB48 level was strongly associated with the presence of carotid plaque in type 2 diabetic patients.