Triglyceride–Rich Lipoproteins, Apolipoproteins, and Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Events Among Patients with Diabetes Mellitus and End–Stage Renal Disease on Hemodialysis

Abstract

Hypertriglyceridemia may be implicated in the high atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk experienced by patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). In this post-hoc analysis of the "Die Deutsche Diabetes Dialyse Studie (4D)" clinical trial, we examined incident ASCVD events, defined as myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, or a coronary revascularization procedure, among 1255 participants with type 2 diabetes and ESRD treated with hemodialysis. Cox-regression methods were used to evaluate the association of triglycerides, very-low density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C), and apolipoproteins B (Apo B) and C-III (Apo C-III) with ASCVD. During a median follow-up time of 2.3 years, 340 (27%) participants experienced an ASCVD event. Higher concentrations of triglycerides were not associated with ASCVD risk: Hazard ratio (HR) 0.95; 95% CI (0.83, 1.10) per doubling concentration. Similarly, VLDL-C HR 1.01; 95% CI (0.90, 1.13); Apo B HR 1.04; 95% CI (0.93, 1.16); and Apo C-III HR 0.97; 95% CI (0.86, 1.09) (per one standard deviation higher concentrations), were not associated with ASCVD events. These associations did not differ by allocation to treatment to atorvastatin or by concentrations of markers of inflammation or malnutrition. In conclusion, we found no evidence that triglycerides, triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, or apolipoproteins B or C-III were associated with risk of ASCVD events among patients with type 2 diabetes and ESRD on hemodialysis. These results suggest that lowering triglycerides may not decrease atherosclerotic cardiovascular risk in this population.