Association of Plasma Cholesterol Profile in Sudanese Patients with Hypertension

Hypertension (HTN) is a common disease which ultimately leads to mortality from cardiovascular diseases (CVDs).

This study aimed to assess the cholesterol profile among Sudanese patients with HTN in Khartoum State, Sudan.

A case-control study was conducted in Khartoum State from January 2023 to April 2023. A total of 100 subjects were enrolled in the study: 50 HTN patients as the case group and 50 normotensive individuals as the control group. The plasma cholesterol profile was measured using spectrophotometric methods. The data were analyzed using SPSS.

Plasma levels of total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were significantly higher in patients compared to healthy controls ( P = 0.000). In contrast, plasma level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) was significantly lower in patients than in the control group ( P = 0.001). TC was significantly positively correlated with age, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) ( P = 0.001, P = 0.000, and P = 0.000, respectively). Similarly, plasma LDL-C was significantly positively correlated with SBP, DBP, and age ( P = 0.001, P = 0.001, and P = 0.001, respectively). Conversely, plasma HDL-C was significantly negatively correlated with SBP, DBP, age, and body mass index (BMI) ( P = 0.000, P = 0.000, P = 0.007, and P = 0.006, respectively).

Hypertensive patients showed significantly higher plasma TC and LDL-C but lower HDL-C compared to healthy controls. TC and LDL-C levels significantly positively correlated with age, SBP, and DBP, whereas HDL-C was significantly negatively correlated with SBP, DBP, age, and BMI. Cholesterol management in hypertensive patients reduces the risk for CVDs, a major concern for patients with HTN.