Serum lipid Profile and Nutritional Status of the Hypertensive Outpatients in University College Hospital, Ibadan

Background: Dyslipidaemia among hypertensive patients increases risks of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Nutritional status of the patients relates to the clinical diagnosis in confirming the cause of their ailment. This study aims to evaluate the lipid profile and its relationship with nutritional status of hypertensive outpatients attending University College Hospital in Ibadan. Methodology: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study involving the fifty-five (55) alternative hypertensive outpatients(32 females and 23 males) attending cardiology clinics of Medical Outpatients in University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. A semi-structured, interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to obtain patients' socio-economic data. The mean of the last four (4) blood pressure readings and lipid profile of the patients were obtained from their hospital records. Anthropometric parameters, weight (kg), height (m), waist and hip circumferences of the patients were assessed. Descriptive and inferential statistics were employed in data analysis. Level of significance was placed at p<0.05. Results: The mean age of the patients was 56.7±12.3. Less than half (45.5%) of the patients were between the age 50- 64years. The mean BMI of the patients was 28.7±26.12 (kg/m2). A large number (36.4%) of patients were found to be overweight, (34.5%) were obese and (29.1%) had normal weight. There were more (46.9%) female patients obese than male patients. Large number (73.9%) male and (84.4%) female patients had waist-hip ratio above normal cutoff points for both sexes. Male patients had higher mean low lipoprotein, high density lipoprotein and triglycerides than female counterparts while female patients had higher mean total cholesterol than their male counterparts. A significant difference was observed in total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein profile between the male and female patients (p<0.05). A positive correlation between hypertension and waist-hip ratio, and serum total cholesterol was also observed only among the male patients. Conclusion: Many of the patients were overweight and obese. Most of them suffered from diabetes mellitus which they were not aware of. Large numbers of the patients lived a sedentary life. There was raised serum total cholesterol, and decreased high density lipoprotein especially among the patients.