An association analysis of lipid profile and diabetic cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy in a Chinese sample

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have shown that triglyceride (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) are related to the prevalence of cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN). However, little is known about the association of lipid profile with diabetic cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (DCAN), or its severity in the Chinese population. The purpose of this study is to explore the extent of this phenomenon using a Chinese sample. METHODS: A subgroup analysis on 455 diabetic patients with undiagnosed DCAN was performed to evaluate the relationships of lipids profile and DCAN. DCAN was diagnosed if there were at least two abnormal cardiovascular autonomic reflex test results, based on short-term heart rate variability tests. Multivariable logistic regression (MLR)was carried out to control potential confounders for determining the independent association of variables with DCAN in different models. RESULTS: MLR analysis indicated that TG was significantly and independently associated with DCAN when controlling for confounding factors (P < 0.1 for two models). Additionally, TG combined with TC (LRS-1) and LDL (LRS-2) was associated with this outcome (P < 0.1 for LRS-1 and LRS-2). CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that TG and the severity of lipids profile is significantly and independently associated with DCAN, respectively. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02461472, retrospectively registered 2 Jun, 2015