Cardiometabolic risk factors in Thai individuals with prediabetes treated in a high‐risk, prevention clinic: Unexpected relationship between high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol and glycemia in men

AIMS/INTRODUCTION: Relationships between cardiometabolic risk and glycemia have rarely been studied in people under clinical evaluation and treatment for cardiometabolic risk and with prediabetes. We investigated relationships between glycemia and cardiometabolic risk factors in clinic participants with prediabetes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a cross‐sectional analysis of data collected at a center in Thailand. Clinic attendees were at high risk of diabetes or cardiovascular disease, with hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) 39–<48 mmol/mol or fasting plasma glucose (FPG) 5.6–<7.0 mmol/L. The relationships between glycemia and cardiometabolic risk factors were explored. RESULTS: Of 357 participants, two or more insulin resistance‐related metabolic disturbances were present in 84%; 61% took a statin and 75% an antihypertensive agent. Independently of age, sex, adiposity, medication use, possible non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease and sex–glycemia interaction, neither FPG nor HbA1c were associated with variation in any other cardiometabolic risk factors. High‐density lipoprotein cholesterol decreased with HbA1c in women (female–HbA1c interaction, P = 0.03) but, unexpectedly, increased with FPG in men (male–FPG interaction, P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, in Thai people treated for high cardiometabolic risk and with prediabetes defined by FPG and/or HbA1c, neither FPG nor HbA1c were associated with other cardiometabolic risk factors. However, according to sex, high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol showed the expected relationship with glycemia in women, but the reverse in men.