Lipid Profile of Patients with Liver Cirrhosis in Jos, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Liver cirrhosis is a chronic inflammatory condition associated lipid abnormalities. There are no studies documenting lipid levels among patients with liver cirrhosis in northern Nigeria.
Methodology: Seventy four consecutive patients with liver cirrhosis seen at the Jos University Teaching Hospital and 88 apparently healthy controls had lipid levels estimated in the fasting state.
Results: The median serum triglyceride levels were similar in both patients and controls (2.6 mmol/L versus 2.6 mmol/L, ÷2 0.09, P=0.7). The median LDL were also similar being 2.3 mmol/L and 1.9 mmol/L respectively, ÷2 =2.75 p= 0.09. However, the median total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol levels were significantly higher in the controls compared to the 2 study subjects (4.2 mmol/L vs. 3.6 mmol/L; X = 10.1; P=0.0001, and 1.1 mmol/L vs. 0.9 mmol/L; ÷2 = 21.7l, P <0.001 respectively). Similar proportions of the patients with liver cirrhosis and controls (4.1% vs. 5.5% respectively, p = 0.87) had hypercholesterolaemia. A comparable finding was also observed when the proportion of subjects with hypertriglyceridaemia were compared (9.5% vs. 17.1% for cirrhotic patients vs. controls respectively; p = 0.14). A significant difference however exists in the proportion of subjects with low HDL-C concentration (67.5% vs. 34.1% for cirrhotic patients and controls respectively; p = 0.001).
Conclusion: Lipid abnormalities exist in patients with liver cirrhosis. HDL-C levels are significantly reduced in these subjects. Patients with liver cirrhosis thus, should be routinely screened for such abnormalities.