Serum Lipids Profiles and Pattern of Hyperlipidaemias in a Semi-Urban Community in Northern Nigeria

Background: Little information is available about the distributions of blood lipid concentrations and prevalences of hyperlipidaemias in Nigeria. Data on mean levels and prevalences of hyperlipidaemias are scanty or at best fragmentary in Nigeria. The aim of this study was to determine the levels of lipids in a semi-urban settlement in northern Nigeria. Methodology: This study was based in Dakace village, near Zaria in northern Nigeria. Cluster sampling method was used to select respondents. Two clusters (Angwas) were selected using simple random sampling. In each of the sampled cluster, all eligible respondents were identified by a house-to-house enumeration and this constituted the sampling frame. In all 199 subjects were selected using a systematic random sampling from the frame of the eligible respondents already prepared. The sub-sampled respondents for lipid analysis were asked to do an overnight fast of at least 14 hours following which, about 5mls of venous blood was taken and analyzed for various lipids fractions. Results: There were 94 males (47.2%) and 105 females (52.8%) with a mean age of 39.9 years ± 15.6 years. Forty-two subjects (21.1%) had elevated cholesterol level of more than 5.17mmo/L; mean was 4.44 ± 1.27mmo/L, (95%CI: 4.27, 4.62). Mean of LDL cholesterol was 2.19± 1.02 mm/L (95%CI: 2.06, 2.34); twenty-one subjects (10.6%) had elevated LDL cholesterol of >3.36mmol/L. The mean serum level of HDL cholesterol was 1.02 ± 0.40mmol/ L; (95%CI: 0.97, 1.08). Sixty-four subjects (32.2%) had decreased serum level of less than 0.91mmol/L.Only one person (0.5%), a male was found to have elevated serum triglyceride level of above 2.26mmol/L. The mean triglyceride level for the study population was 0.82 ± 0.64mmol/L, (95%CI: 0.73, 0.91). Conclusion: This study demonstrates that dysperlipidaemias are prevalent in Nigeria and for that matter in a semi-urban settlement that is generally thought to be free of these risk factors. It is therefore necessary to undertake nationwide survey to assess the pattern of distributions of blood lipids profiles and prevalence of dysperlipidaemias in the general population. Keywords: serum lipids, Hyperlipidaemias, Northern Nigeria. Nigerian Medical Journal Vol. 48 (3) 2007: pp. 51-5