Serum apolipoprotein H and its relationship to blood pressure, serum lipids, fasting plasma glucose and insulin in normal individuals

Apolipoprotein H (apo H), also known as beta (2)-glycoprotein I. has recently become of interest in the field of haemostasis. As apo H is elevated in diabetes mellitus and dyslipidaemia, we wished to test the hypothesis that serum apo H concentration was related to fasting plasma glucose and insulin Lis well as blood pressure, body mass index, hip/waist ratio and serum lipids in normal individuals. Eighty-one healthy young individuals (46 females and 35 males) were studied. Their age was 20.7 +/-0.75 years. Serum apo H significantly correlated with fasting plasma glucose (r=0.24, P=0.03) and serum LDL cholesterol (r=0.30, P=0.006). In the females serum apo H significantly correlated with serum cholesterol concentration (r=0.30, P=0.04) and in males with serum HDL cholesterol concentration (r=0.35, P=0.04). In multifactorial regression analysis For serum apo H and the other variables for the 81 subjects, only gender and fasting plasma glucose remained statistically significant in the model. Serum apo H concentrations would be expected to increase by 21.7mg/L for each single mmol/L increase in fasting plasma glucose (95% CI 2.3-41.2), P=0.029, and to increase by 17.0 mg/L if the gender is male (95% CI 0.7-33.2), P=0.041.