Correlation of Anthropometry With Plasma Atherogenicity Indices in Subjects With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Introduction Diabetes mellitus is characterized by chronic hyperglycemia due to insulin deficiency, leading to complications in vital organs. Among these, dyslipidemia is common, presenting as low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c), high triglycerides (TG), Apolipoprotein-B (Apo-B), and small dense low-density lipoprotein (sdLDL) predominance, collectively known as diabetic dyslipidemia. To assess the atherogenic risk in individuals with type 2 diabetes, the atherogenic index of plasma (AIP) and atherogenic coefficient (AC) provide valuable insights beyond routine lipid tests. AIP, calculated as log (serum TG/serum HDL-c), correlates positively with the occurrence and severity of diabetic microvascular complications. The AC ((total cholesterol (TC)-HDL-c)/HDL-c) serves as an atherogenicity marker. Waist circumference (WC), reflecting central adiposity and body mass index (BMI), are directly related to both AIP and AC, making them useful non-invasive tools to monitor atherogenicity and predict cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk independently of each other in subjects with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Material and methods This was an observational cross-sectional study conducted in the Department of Medicine of a tertiary care hospital. It included 100 type 2 diabetes mellitus patients more than 18 years of age, including both males and females. Observation and results In our study, there were 42 (42%) males and 58 (58%) females. The mean WC of males and females were 105.40 and 100.98 cm, respectively. The mean for BMI, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), and urine albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UACR) was 28.83 kg/m , 8.58%, and 100.62 mg/g, respectively. There was positive Pearson's correlation between AIP and WC of males and females (r = 0.324 and 0.269), AC and WC of males and females (r = 0.139 and 0.097), BMI and AIP (r = 0.350), BMI and AC (r = 0.214), HbA1c and AIP (r = 0.207), HbA1c and AC (r = 0.216), UACR and AIP (r = 0.218), and UACR and AC (r = 0.237). Conclusion This study concludes that there is a positive correlation between anthropometric measures, such as WC and BMI, and plasma atherogenicity indexes, including the AIP and AC. This finding suggests that clinicians can effectively use these non-invasive measurements (BMI and WC) to estimate the presence of dyslipidemia and atherogenicity in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus during routine outpatient care. Early identification of these risk factors allows for timely lifestyle interventions s