Correlation of Serum Lipids with Diabetes Control in Sulfonylurea-treated Diabetic Patients

The relationships between fasting blood glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin A₁, and several lipid parameters were studied in 67 non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients (19 men, 48 women) being treated with tolbutamide, chlorpropamide, or glibenclamide. All patients were over 60 yr of age with a mean age of 76.4 ± 6.7 yr (±SD). There were positive associations between fasting blood glucose and serum cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and serum triglycerides. A strong association between total cholesterol and triglycerides was also evident. Diabetes control and HDL cholesterol did not correlate with each other. A weak inverse correlation existed between fasting blood glucose and the HDL cholesterol/total cholesterol ratio. HDL cholesterol concentrations were low in the diet-and drug-treated diabetic patients. No deleterious sulfonylurea effects on cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglyceride concentrations or HDL cholesterol/total cholesterol ratio were noted.