Greater lipid variability in patients with type 2 diabetes is associated with a nearly 60% increase in the risk of developing nephropathy or neuropathy compared to those with stable lipids, a study shows.

The findings, which implicate HDL cholesterol and triglycerides but not LDL cholesterol, highlight the importance of lipid-lowering therapy in this setting to stave off microvascular complications, Chinese researchers say.

In a post-hoc analysis of the ACCORD (Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes) trial of more than 10,000 adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), the authors examined the effect of visit-to-visit lipid variability on the risk of diabetic neuropathy, nephropathy and retinopathy.

Overall, there were around 2400 cases each of the three microvascular complications over an average 3.5 years’ follow-up.