Association of Ethnicity and Diabetes with Elevated Lipoprotein(a) Levels in a Cross-Sectional Study of Adults in Kuwait

Introduction and Objective: Diabetes and elevated lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] levels are both linked to increased atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk. While epidemiological studies suggest an inverse relationship between Lp(a) concentration and diabetes risk, elevated Lp(a) levels in patients with diabetes are associated with higher ASCVD risk. This study investigated the prevalence of elevated Lp(a) in type 2 diabetes (T2D) and its association with demographic and clinical characteristics. Methods: Participants from diverse ethnic groups were recruited at Dasman Diabetes Institute. Data were analyzed using STATA. Mann-Whitney U and Fisher’s exact tests were employed for continuous and categorical variables, respectively. Poisson regression with a robust variance estimator was used to model the association between Lp(a) levels and covariates. Results: Of 2,083 participants, 55.7% were male, with a median age of 45 years. The cohort included 46.6% Arabs, 34.5% South Asians, and 18.9% Southeast Asians. Among them, 30.8% had T2D, 38.6% were obese, and 49.7% were insulin resistant. High Lp(a) (≥50 mg/dL) prevalence was 41.2%. Gender, ethnicity, fasting blood glucose levels, and diabetes status were significantly associated with Lp(a) levels. Adjusted analysis model showed male gender (PR=0.879), South Asian ethnicity (PR=0.731), diabetes (PR=1.255), higher CRP (PR=1.012), and vitamin D levels (PR=1.009) were significantly associated with elevated Lp(a). Conclusion: High Lp(a) levels are common in T2D and significantly associated with gender and ethnicity. Further studies are warranted to investigate the effect of elevated Lp(a) in diabetic patients on their cardiovascular outcomes. Disclosure: M. Qaddoumi: None. M. Abu-Farha: None. J. Abubaker: None. A. Albatineh: None. F. Almulla: None. Funding: KFAS (RA-2019-30)