Background: End stage renal disease (ESRD) and diabetes mellitus may have lipid abnormalities that act synergistically to place diabetics with ESRD at an augmented risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. We studied serum lipid profile and risk ratio in Nigerian diabetics with ESRD as there is no data in this regard.

Materials and method: Serum lipid profile was determined in the fasting state for consecutive diabetic patients with ESRD seen in the Nephrology Unit of the Jos University Teaching Hospital over a 2-year period. A similar group of non-diabetic patients with ESRD and healthy individuals served as controls.

Results: A total of 21 diabetics and 30 non- diabetics both with ESRD and 36 controls were studied. High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels were lower in diabetics compared to controls (1.55 ± 1.14 mmol/L vs. 2.38 ± 0.57 mmol/L, p