Diagnostic value of postprandial triglycerides testing in diabetic patients: Case series

Postprandial hypertriglyceridemia is now established as an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). This metabolic abnormality is principally initiated by overproduction and/or decreased catabolism of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins (TRLs) and is a consequence of predisposing genetic variations and medical conditions such as obesity and insulin resistance. Accumulation of TRLs in the postprandial state promotes the retention of remnant particles in the artery wall. Because of their size, most remnant particles cannot cross the endothelium as efficiently as smaller low-density lipoprotein (LDL) particles. However, since each remnant particle contains approximately 40 times more cholesterol compared with LDL, elevated levels of remnants may lead to accelerated atherosclerosis and CVD. The recognition of postprandial hypertriglyceridemia in the clinical setting has been severely hampered by technical difficulties and the lack of established clinical protocols for investigating postprandial lipemia, The aim of our study is to evaluate the diagnostic value of postprandial triglycerides (TG) in type 2 diabetic subjects.

Patients and Methods: This was a prospective, descriptive, cross-sectional study of 112 patients diabetes, from April 2022 to July 2022.

Results: Our population consisted of 112 diabetic patients aged between 30 and 70 years, with an average age of 50. Taking into account the established thresholds: A normal postprandial triglyceride level is defined as a serum level of of 1.82±0.40 at 2h, our study shows a prevalence of post prandial hypertriglyceridaemia of 52%.

Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that patients with type 2 diabetes who were subjected to a standardised fat meal challenge exhibited a notable elevation in triglyceride levels following the ingestion of the meal. It can be postulated that persistent postprandial hypertriglyceridemia may result in a pro-atherogenic environment, which in turn may lead to the development of atherosclerosis and macrovascular disease in subjects with type 2 diabetes.