Influence of Lipid Profiles on Type 2 Diabetes Risk in Nigerian Patients

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death globally and is driven by complex interactions between genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. Addressing this crisis requires a deep understanding of its diverse risk factors and pathophysiological mechanisms to inform more effective prevention and treatment strategies. In this study, we evaluated 445 type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) levels below 70 mg/dl to assess the association between T2DM and lipid parameters. We found that non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-c) levels (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.10, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07–1.13, p < 0.0001) and LDL/HDL-c ratio (AOR = 1.05, 95% CI: 1.01–1.09, p = 0.0138) were significantly associated with T2DM in the overall cohort. Among females, non-HDL-c (AOR = 1.10, 95% CI: 1.07–1.14, p < 0.0001) and LDL/HDL-c (AOR = 1.06, 95% CI: 1.01–1.11, p = 0.0133) showed stronger associations with T2DM. LDL-c levels were correlated with T2DM (odds ratio [OR] = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.08–1.68, p = 0.0078). Triglyceride (TG) levels at optimal LDL-c (AOR = 1.10, 95% CI: 1.05–1.16, p < 0.0001 in males; AOR = 1.16, 95% CI: 1.13–1.19, p < 0.0001 in females) and non-HDL-c (AOR = 1.11, 95% CI: 1.05–1.16, p < 0.0001 in males; AOR = 1.17, 95% CI: 1.14–1.19, p < 0.0001 in females) levels were consistently associated with higher T2DM risk. These findings highlight the critical need for personalized and sex-specific lipid management strategies in T2DM care to improve cardiovascular outcomes.