Correlation of lipid profile with C3d and Carotid Intima-Media thickness in Type 2 Diabetic patients

Abstract

Background: Complement activation occurs in the vessel's wall as serum lipids start to get deposited, marking the beginning of atherosclerosis formation. Carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) is a widely used tool for detecting atherosclerosis. This study objective was to correlate lipid profile with C3d levels and Carotid IMT in type 2 Diabetic patients.

Methodology: This case-control study comprised 120 male and female participants between 35 to 65 years of age. Of them, 90 type 2 diabetes patients were stratified according to the diabetes duration into four groups, Group A (n=30) <5 years of diabetic, Group B (n=30) 5-10 years of diabetic, Group C (n=30) >10 years diabetic and non-diabetic subjects healthy controls in Group D (n=30). The Anthropometric measurements (height, weight, and BMI), serum C3d level, carotid intima-media thickness (carotid IMT) &, serum levels of Cholesterol, Triglycerides, Low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and High-density lipoprotein (HDL) were evaluated.

Results: In Type 2 Diabetic patients with moderate to high levels of serum Cholesterol, the C3d levels were found to be significantly raised (10.58 ±3.87 µg/ml and 15.37 ± 2.51 µg/ml, respectively), but Carotid IMT was increased in patients with high Cholesterol (0.98 ± 0.11 mm). Patients with moderate to high levels of Triglycerides had C3d 11.03 ± 3.85 µg/ml and 13.66 ± 4.30 µg/ml, respectively, but Carotid IMT was observed to be raised in patients with higher triglycerides levels (1.00 ± 0.11 mm). Also, in patients with moderate to high serum LDL C3d were 10.26 ± 3.10 µg/ml and 13.14 ± 4.08 µg/ml, respectively, whereas Carotid IMT was increased in patients with high levels of LDL (0.93 ± 0.13 mm). The C3d (12.12 ± 4.42 µg/ml) and Carotid IMT (0.90 ± 0.13 mm) levels were increased as HDL decreased significantly.

Conclusion: Serum C3d can be used as an early marker of atherosclerosis formation, which increases as lipid levels exceed the normal range in diabetic type 2 patients compared to carotid IMT detected in patients with higher lipid parameters.