Diabetic patients have a 2 to 4 times higher risk of development of atherosclerosis than non-diabetic subjects. One of the risk factors of atherosclerosis is an impaired lipid and lipoprotein metabolism which is influenced by the type of diabetes, the degree of its metabolic compensation, character of treatment and other concurrently present metabolic abnormalities. In metabolically balanced type 1 diabetes the levels of commonly assessed lipoproteins do not differ from those in non-diabetic subjects, the HDL-cholesterol level can be even higher. The lipid profile of type 2 diabetics is not very homogeneous, however, usually elevated levels of VLDL-triglycerides and of apoprotein B and a reduced HDL-cholesterol level are found. At present there are no unequivocal views on the role of the lipoprotein (a) ratio in the increased risk of atherosclerosis in diabetics as investigations devoted to the lipoprotein (a) level and its relation to macrovascular complications in diabetes did not give unequivocal results. The scope of dyslipidemia in diabetics with nephropathy is in addition to the effect of the basic disease influenced also by the extent of renal damage. The lipid disorder, on the other hand, leads to deterioration of albuminuria and progression of the renal disease.

Keywords: Arteriosclerosis /blood/; Diabetes Complications; Diabetes Mellitus /blood/; Humans; Lipids /blood/; Lipoproteins /blood/; Risk Factors