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 beta2-glycoprotein 1, 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 as 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 21.7 mg/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% Cl 0.7-332), P= 0.041.