What type of study is this?

This is a Comparative Cross-Sectional study.

September 10, 2025

Comparative Evaluation of Lipid Profiles and Cardiac Risk Markers in Obese and Non-Obese Patients Attending a Cardiology Clinic

MAMaryam AshrafCMH Lahore Medical College and Institute of Dentistry MRMuhammad Zahid Ali RazaUniversity of Gujrat FAFaiza AltafKing's College - North Carolina

Key Points

Obese patients show significantly higher triglycerides, LDL-C, and total cholesterol compared to non-obese individuals, indicating elevated cardiovascular risk.
Advanced markers such as hs-CRP and the apolipoprotein B/A-I ratio are notably increased in obese patients, highlighting systemic inflammation.
The study method involved comparative cross-sectional analysis with 70 adults, emphasizing the relationship between obesity and unfavorable lipid profiles.
These findings underscore the need for incorporating advanced cardiac risk markers in clinical assessments for better identification of high-risk patients.

Abstract

Background: Obesity is highly prevalent in Pakistan and contributes to cardiovascular risk by promoting dyslipidemia and low-grade inflammation. Objectives: To compare fasting lipid profiles and advanced cardiac risk markers—high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), apolipoprotein B/A-I ratio, and atherogenic index of plasma (AIP)—between obese and non-obese adults attending a cardiology clinic. Methods: In this comparative cross-sectional study at Sharif Medical City Hospital, Lahore (1st, January 2024 – 31st, December 2025), 35 obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m²) and 35 non-obese (BMI < 25 kg/m²) outpatients (30–60 years) without diabetes, hypertension, thyroid dysfunction, recent acute coronary syndrome, chronic inflammation, pregnancy, or lipid-lowering therapy were consecutively enrolled. After a 10–12 h fast, serum total cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL-C, and LDL-C (enzymatic assays); apolipoproteins A-I and B (immunoturbidimetry); and hs-CRP (high-sensitivity immunoturbidimetry) were measured. VLDL-C was estimated as TG/5 and AIP as log₁₀(TG/HDL-C). Independent-samples t-tests and Pearson’s correlations were performed (SPSS v.26; p < 0.05). Results: Compared with non-obese subjects, the obese group had significantly higher triglycerides (192 ± 48 vs. 144 ± 35 mg/dL), LDL-C (138 ± 30 vs. 119 ± 26 mg/dL), VLDL-C (38 ± 10 vs. 29 ± 7 mg/dL), and total cholesterol (214 ± 36 vs. 196 ± 32 mg/dL; all p ≤ 0.02), and lower HDL-C (37 ± 9 vs. 52 ± 11 mg/dL; p < 0.001). Hs-CRP (4.0 ± 1.4 vs. 1.9 ± 0.8 mg/L), ApoB/A-I ratio (0.96 ± 0.22 vs. 0.64 ± 0.17), and AIP (0.69 ± 0.20 vs. 0.46 ± 0.15) were markedly elevated in the obese cohort (all p < 0.001). Conclusion: In this Pakistani cardiology population, obesity is associated with an atherogenic lipid profile, heightened systemic inflammation, and unfavourable lipoprotein ratios. Incorporation of these advanced markers into routine risk assessment may improve early identification of high-risk patients.

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