Study of the lipid and lipoprotein activity in various grades of untreated hypertension

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Introduction: Hypertension is an important medical and public health problem both in developed and developing countries. Abnormalities in serum lipid levels (dyslipidemia) are recognized as a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and essential hypertension. Lipid profile is earliest marker for coronary heart disease and includes total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TG), and very LDL (VLDL). The role of lipoprotein (a) (Lp[a]) as an independent biomarker of vascular disease risk has been investigated for more than 20 years, but recently the European Atherosclerosis Society has issued a new consensus statement endorsing routine measurement of Lp(a) among patients with moderate-to-high-risk CVD. The aim of the study is to find out lipid profile and lipoprotein activity in various grades of untreated hypertension. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted at a tertiary care setting in Ghaziabad. The study was conducted from February 2017 to February 2018 and 125 subjects were included after the detailed history, physical examination, and inclusion and exclusion criteria. All patients were evaluated for their lipid profile along with Lp(a) and other routine investigations. Results: There was a statistically significant rising level on TC, TG, LDL, VLDL, and Lp(a) (P ≤ 0.0001) excluding HDL statistically not significant (P = 0.343). This study showed that lipid and lipoprotein cholesterol abnormalities exist and even worsen with severity of hypertension. It is important that investigations in patients with hypertension should include lipid profile and lipoprotein. Conclusion: Serum lipid profile can serve as an important marker for screening hypertensive patients for CVD and their early detection can reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. In this study, TC, LDL-C, TG, VLDC-C, Lp(a), and body mass index were found to be abnormal in hypertensive patients, but HDL-C did not show any significant variation with hypertension.