Abstract

This study was conducted to compare the lipid profile of diabetic patients and healthy controls. The lipid profiles and lipoprotein levels of 50 known diabetic patients and 50 healthy subjects were studied. Total cholesterol (TC), Triacylglycerols (TG), Low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were assayed for each group using standard biochemical methods. The mean TC, TG, and low density lipoprotein cholesterol levels were lower in the diabetics than in the control subjects though these were not significant (P > 0.05). The frequency of high TC level was higher in the diabetic group while the frequency of low HDL-C level was higher in the healthy controls. The prevalence of high TG and LDL-C were approximately equal in the two groups. The mean (±SD) HDL- C was significantly lower (P < 0.05) in males compared to the females for both diabetic and control groups. The better lipid profiles in the diabetic patients compared to the controls were apparently due to the regime of management of their condition.

Key words: Diabetes, lipid profile, Nigerians.