An Evaluation of Lipid Profile among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus using Total Cholesterol (TC), Triglycerides (TG), High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL-C), and Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (LDL-C)

Abstract

The study sought to evaluate the lipid profile among type 2 diabetic patients using total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in type 2 diabetic patients. In carrying out the study, a comparative cross-sectional design was adopted. The study population consisted of one hundred (100) diagnosed type 2 diabetic patients and one hundred (100) apparently healthy, age- and sex-matched non-diabetic individuals who served as controls. All participants were aged between 30 and 70 years. Ten (10) mL of venous blood samples were collected from each participant after overnight fast using standard aseptic procedures and distributed into appropriate tubes for the determination of fasting plasma glucose (FPG), glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), insulin, lipid profile, and oxidative stress markers. Serum and plasma were prepared by centrifugation at 3000 rpm for 10 minutes, while whole blood was used for selected analyses. The samples were analyzed using standard laboratory methods. Data obtained were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0. Results were expressed as Mean ± Standard Deviation. The test of significance was determined using independent samples t-test, while Pearson correlation analysis was used to assess relationships between variables, with p < 0.05 considered statistically significant. There were significantly higher mean levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p = 0.000 for all) in Type 2 diabetic patients (6.60 ± 0.57 mmol/L, 2.68 ± 0.52 mmol/L, and 4.42 ± 0.59 mmol/L, respectively) when compared to controls (4.16 ± 0.42 mmol/L, 1.16 ± 0.19 mmol/L, and 2.35 ± 0.46 mmol/L, respectively). There was a significantly lower mean level of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p = 0.000) in Type 2 diabetic patients (1.02 ± 0.14 mmol/L) compared to controls (1.54 ± 0.17 mmol/L). The study concluded that Type 2 diabetes is frequently accompanied by abnormalities in lipid metabolism, which may manifest as elevated TC, TG, and LDL-C levels together with reduced HDL-C levels. One of the recommendations made was that Lipid profile testing, including TC, TG, HDL-C, and LDL-C, should be carried out routinely among type 2 diabetic patients to facilitate early detection and management of lipid abnormalities.