Objective  To study the correlation between serum adiponectin and early atherosclerosis in aged patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM).   Methods  Fifty-five aged patients with type 2 DM

enrolled in this study

were divided into non-atherosclerosis group with their carotid intimamedia thickness (CIMT)≤0.9 mm (n=29) and atherosclerosis group with their CIMT 0.9 mm (n

=26). Twenty-five healthy individuals served as a control group. Clinical data including age

sex

BMI

ABI

HbA

1c

fasting glucose and insulin were collected.Insulin resistance index in Homa model was calculated following the equation: Homa IR=FINS×FPG）/22.5. Serum adiponectin level was measured by ELISA.    Results  The serum adiponectin level was significantly lower in atherosclerosis group than in nonatherosclerosis and control groups (P0.01). The adiponectin level was negatively correlated with the levels of glucose

HbA

1c

hs-CRP

TC

LDL-C

TG and CIMT but positively correlated with HDL-C and ABI (P0.05). Multiple stepwise regression analysis showed that LDL-C and HDL-C were the independent factors influencing the serum adiponectin level.   Conclusion  Low serum adiponectin level is correlated with atherosclerosis in aged type 2 DM patients.