STATUS OF LIPID PROFILE IN ACTIVE SMOKERS

BACKGROUND: Smoking alters the lipid profile adversely and dyslipidemia is a well-established risk factor for the development of coronary artery disease, hence the objective of the present study was to assess the impact of active tobacco smoking on lipids profile. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In this cross sectional study a total of 302 participants (252 smokers and 50 non smokers) were enrolled. Smokers were classified into mild to moderate (Group I) and severe (Group II) based on the number of pack years as 2 ? 10 and more than 10 respectively. Standard methods were adopted to check the lipid levels. Data analysis was performed with the SPSS 15.0 statistical software. RESULTS: The observed values for fasting serum lipid profile indicates abnormalities of lipid profile worsen with increasing smoking pack year and atherogenic index as indicated total cholesterol/HDL, LDL cholesterol/HDL cholesterol was significantly elevated in both the groups. CONCLUSION: Measurements of lipid profile in smokers are good predictive tools in the assessment of risk for cardiovascular diseases.