Association of Plasma Cholesterol Profile in Sudanese Patients with Hypertension

CONTEXT: Hypertension (HTN) is a common disease which ultimately leads to mortality from cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). AIMS: This study aimed to assess the cholesterol profile among Sudanese patients with HTN in Khartoum State, Sudan. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 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. RESULTS: 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). CONCLUSIONS: 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.