Elevated lipoprotein (a) levels in hypertensive patients in southern part of Nigeria

Hypertension is linked with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and is the leading modifiable risk factor for morbidity and mortality globally. Lipoprotein (a) is an independent risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. It has been suggested to contribute to increased risk for atherosclerosis in hypertensive patients. This study was to investigate the levels of Lp (a) in hypertensive patients and correlate them with other risk factors of cardiovascular disease. This was a hospital-based cross-sectional study conducted between October 2022 and December 2023 at the Delta State Central Hospital, Warri. The study involved 200 hypertensive patients and 100 healthy controls. The lipoprotein (a) levels in the hypertensives ranged from 5.2 – 89.0 mg/dl with a mean of 32.8 ± 16.6 mg/dl. The controls had a range of 1.1 – 63.2 mg/dl with a mean of 16.9 ± 13.9 mg/dl. The difference in mean Lp(a) levels was statistically significant (p <0.001). In the hypertensives, Lp(a) correlated positively with body weight (r = 0.522, p = 0.001), BMI (r = 0.553, p = 0.002) and waist circumference (r = 0.628, p = 0.001).Serum Lp (a) levels were significantly higher in the hypertensive patients than in the normotensive controls. There was a positive correlation between serum Lp (a) and BMI and waist circumference in the hypertensive group.