STUDY TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTS OF HYPOLIPIDEMIA ON NICOTINIC ACID (A SINGLE BLIND PLACEBO CONTROLLED RANDOMIZED TRIAL)

Objective: The study was planned to determine the nicotinic effects on body weight, blood pressure, good cholesterol; i.e. HDL-cholesterol and bad cholesterol; i.e. LDL-cholesterol. Study Design: A single blind placebo- Randomized controlled research study. Place and Duration: In the Department of Medicine, Services Hospital Lahore in Collaboration with department of Pharmacology Services Institute of Medical Sciences for three months duration from June 2019 to September 2019. Methods: Forty men and women with hyperlipidemia were included, 20 of them received a placebo, as a control group and 2.25 grams of niacin per tablet per day were given to 20 subjects over a three-month dose. Patients with diabetes mellitus, peptic ulcer disease, liver disease, kidney disease, alcoholism and hypothyroidism were not included in the study. The patient's blood pressure and body weight were recorded every two weeks on follow-up. LDL cholesterol was checked with the Friedewald formula (LDL = TC (TG / 5 + HDL-C) and by a direct method serum HDL cholesterol was calculated, triglycerides and cholesterol were calculated using a colorimetric method. To determine statistical significance of results, Data was stated as the mean ± SD and “t” test was applied. Results: In the 3-month treatment with niacin2.25 grams, HDL cholesterol raised from 36.41 ± 1.96 to 43.70 ± 1.81 mg / dl. This was a major change if statistically analyzed. Niacin reduced LDL cholesterol from 181.98 ± 9.24 mg / dl to 118.18 ± 3.99 mg / dl when compared with the paired t-test and it was highly significant. The total percentage (%) of the changes from 0 days to 90 days was 34.67. The triglycerides were decreased from 170.04 ± 7.59 to 136.85 ± 6.29 mg / dl; this was an important decrease in 3 months (p value <0.001). The blood pressure was also reduced by Niacin. The mean variation between diastolic and systolic blood pressure values was considered significant at days 0 and 90 (P <0.001). Body weight was decreased from 66.30 ± 193 kg in three months to 64.80 ± 1.81 kg. This variation was major (P