Oxidative stress and lipid profile among hypertensive patients at a tertiary centre in Kano, Northwest, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Hypertension as a global public health challenge is a major risk factor for cardiovascular (CVD) and coronary heart diseases (CHD) because of its chronic sequelae. It is accompanied by dyslipidemia and oxidative stress leading to increase in lipid peroxidation. This study aimed to measure the fasting serum lipid profile and malondialdehyde (MDA) and determine the atherogenic index as well as the cardiovascular risk ratio among hypertensive patients in Kano, Nigeria. Patients and Methods: Two hundred subjects (100 hypertensive patients vs. 100 normotensive controls) were recruited for the study. The fasting serum lipid profile and MDA were assayed using routine laboratory methods. Lipid ratios that predict and identify an individual’s increased risk for cardiovascular diseases were then determined from the results of the profile. Results: The serum total cholesterol (7.0±0.5 vs 4.1±0.4 mmol/L), triglycerides (2.9±0.2 vs 2.0±0.3 mmol/Lg/dl), LDL cholesterol (3.8±0.4 vs 2.6±0.4 mmol/L), VLDL cholesterol (3.0±0.2 vs 2.1±0.2 mmol/L) and MDA (TBARS) (9×10^-5±1.4×10^-5 vs 3×10^-6±0.9×10^-6 mol/l) were significantly (p<0.05) increase in hypertensive patients compared to normotensive controls. HDL cholesterol was significantly higher (p<0.05) in normotensive controls compared to hypertensive patients (31.4±8 vs 23.9±6 mg/dl). A statistically significant (p<0.05) positive correlation was observed between LDL cholesterol and MDA only. Both the atherogenic index (AI) ratio and the CardioRisk ratio were significantly higher in Hypertensives than Normal controls (10.4 vs 4.1; 11.7 vs 5.1 respectively). Conclusion: This study demonstrated an increased occurrence of atherogenic lipid profile and oxidative stress among hypertensive patients. It further showed a strong correlation between dyslipidaemia and oxidative stress. Therapeutic lifestyle changes and use of statins should be considered an integral part of the treatment for hypertensive patients in Nigeria.