Peripheral Atherosclerotic Profile in Type 1 Diabetic Patients: Lipid Ratios as a Predictive Marker of Asymptomatic Patients

Objective: To investigate the relationship between Lipid ratios and asymptomatic peripheral artery disease (aPAD) in type 1 diabetic patients. 
Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed among 223 diabetics. Patients were segregated with aPAD when their ankle-brachial index (ABI) was abnormal (ABI ≤ 0.90, or ABI > 1.20). Patients were segregated into the following groups (patients with normal ABI vs. patients with arterial stiffness). The association between lipid ratios and aPAD was analyzed using multivariate logistic regression analysis and the receiver operator characteristic curve. 
Results: Our study reported a slight preponderance of females (108 males vs. 115 females), with a mean age of 30.70±9.69 years and a diabetes duration of 11.13±8.95 years. The prevalence of arterial stiffness was 38.11%. TC/HDL-C ratio was a significant predictor for atherosclerosis with a sensitivity of 77.3%, specificity of 62.5%, and diagnostic accuracy of 0.758%. The results revealed that the 4th quartile (odds ratio [OR]=12.52 [5.06-31.00], p=<0.001) of TC/HDL-C ratio was statistically higher in patients with arterial stiffness. Similarly, the last quartiles of LDL-C/HDL-C and TG/HDL-C ratio were higher in the arterial stiffness group (OR=3.70 [1.68-8.11], p=0.001; OR=4.74 [2.12-10.59], p=<0.001; respectively). In the arterial stiffness group, non-traditional lipid values were significantly higher in males compared to females. 
Conclusion: Lipid ratios are correlated with aPAD in type 1 diabetic patients, and should thus be assessed in clinical decision-making and risk stratification on atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.