Association of Hyperhomocysteinaemia with Hyperglycaemia, Dyslipidaemia, Hypertension and Obesity

Abstract

There is conflicting scientific data about the link between, high homocysteine (Hcy) levels in the general population, and obesity. This is a case-control study aimed to assess the role of hyperhomocysteinemia in obesity and its associated illnesses, including hypertension, dyslipidemia, and hyperglycemia in Gezira state, Sudan. Two hundred and eleven participants were included in the study, 140 were obese (117 females and 23 males) and 71 were normal weight control, the obese median age was 49.49 ± 12.2 years. The control group consisted of 71 individuals with an average age of 45.78 ± 17.67 years. Among those who were already known to be obese, 67 (47.9%) reported having type II diabetes mellitus, 71 (50.7%) reported having hypertension, and 35 (25%) were obese without having either diabetes or hypertension. Three mls of venous blood from each participant were collected in the morning after a 12 h overnight fasting in Lithium heparin containers then the plasma was separated and stored at -80°C for analysis. Serum Hcy and lipid profile were measured using the enzymatic method by Cobas C 411 analyzer. In comparison to obese non-hypertensive, the results showed that obese hypertensive with Hcy levels > 15 mol/L had a considerably increased risk (OR 1.12). When Hcy levels > 15 mol/L were compared to obese diabetics and obese non-diabetics, insignificant difference was shown (P: 0.345). Males had a higher likelihood of having hyperhomocysteinemia than females did (OR 1.2). Homocysteine, cholesterol triglyceride, LDL, and HDL mean values were compared between case and control groups using the independent sample t-test, and the results revealed statistically significant (P: <0.05). Relationships between hyperhomocysteinaemia and cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL, and HDL in the group of obese individuals were not statistically significant (P: 0.574, 0.265, 0.748, and 0.14), respectively. Obesity and Hcyconcentrations were shown to be substantially correlated. However, there was no statistically significant association between baseline plasma Hcy levels and hyperglycemia, hypertension, or dyslipidemia.