Lipid profile among diabetes patients in Gaborone, Botswana.

A cross-sectional study was undertaken to determine the serum lipid profile of diabetes mellitus (DM) patients receiving treatment at Gaborone City Council clinics. A total of 401 patients were studied over a 3-month period. It was found that 33.5% had hypercholesterolaemia and 38.9% hypertriglyceridaemia. The mean low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels were higher in females than in males, but there was no difference in LDL levels between type 1 and 2 DM patients. There was no difference in cholesterol, triglyceride and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels between genders or between type 1 and 2 patients. Hyperlipidaemia was associated with high body mass index. Only hypertriglyceridaemia was associated with high blood pressure. Hyperlipidaemia was not associated with exercise, smoking or alcohol consumption in the DM patients studied.