Abstract
Objective: Diabetes mellitus has become a clinical condition of public health importance, especially in developing countries due to its high mortality and morbidity. The aim of this study was to measure and compare the lipid and serum trace mineral profile among type 2 diabetics and hypertensive diabetics with controls.
 Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out at the Regional Hospital, Bamenda, involving 50 diabetic normotensives, 50 hypertensive diabetics, and 50 normal recruited subjects. Serum levels of lipids and minerals were determined using standard methods.
 Results: Of the four trace elements assessed, except for copper (Cu) whose mean values in diabetics were abnormally increased (p=0.01), zinc (Zn), magnesium (Mg), and chromium (Cr) showed significantly decreased mean values in diabetics compared to the controls (p<0.05). The mean levels of these trace elements were also significantly reduced in hypertensive diabetic patients (p<0.05). In diabetics, there was no significant difference in the lipid levels. However, only total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein mean values were significantly higher in hypertensive diabetic patients compared to the normal controls. There was also a positive significant correlation between the body mass index and Cr (r=+0.3, p=0.045) in diabetics.
 Conclusion: This study saw statistically significant differences in the serum lipid and trace element levels between diabetics, hypertensive diabetics, and controls: With diabetic and diabetic hypertensive patients having higher serum Cu levels and decreased serum Mg, Zn, and Cr levels compared to the normal controls. The lipid profile levels in diabetics and hypertensive diabetics were not significant differences within the study groups for all lipid profile estimations except for TC and LDL which were significantly higher only in hypertensive diabetic patients.
Highlights
The World Health Organization (WHO) [1] defined diabetes mellitus (DM) as a metabolic disorder of multiple etiology, characterized by chronic hyperglycemia with disturbances of carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both [2]
Of the total of 150 patients divided into 50 diabetic normotensives, 50 hypertensive diabetics, and 50 normal subjects in this study, there was no significant difference in Body mass index (BMI) distribution score between diabetic patients, hypertensive diabetic patients, and the control group (p=0.08)
Despite the differences in the mean values of these elements, there was no significant difference in the lipid levels of diabetics compared with the controls in this study (Table 2)
Summary
The World Health Organization (WHO) [1] defined diabetes mellitus (DM) as a metabolic disorder of multiple etiology, characterized by chronic hyperglycemia with disturbances of carbohydrate, fat, and protein metabolism resulting from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both [2]. The WHO estimated that the number of people with diabetes worldwide in the year 2000 was 177 million, which will increase to at least 336 million by the year 2030 [1]. Chronic hyperglycemia is associated with the longterm consequences of diabetes that include damage and dysfunction of the cardiovascular system, eyes, kidneys, and nerves [3,4]. Dyslipidemia according to them is common in diabetes and diabetic hypertensives and is a significant risk factor of cardiovascular disease among patients with type 2 diabetes and those with hypertension. Dyslipidemia is a preferable term to hyperlipidemia because it includes risk factors such as a decreased concentration of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol as well as qualitative changes in low-density lipoprotein (LDL), together with raised triglycerides (TGs), which are features of the metabolic syndrome, increasingly recognized as a harbinger of congenital heart disease [5]
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