A study of lipoproteins in normal and pregnancy induced hypertensive women in tertiary care hospitals of the north west frontier province-Pakistan.

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the levels of serum lipoproteins in women with pregnancy-induced hypertension and compare it with the corresponding levels in pregnant women having normal blood pressure.

METHOD

This cross-sectional study was conducted in the three tertiary care hospitals of Peshawar, North West Frontier Province, Pakistan. A total of 206 pregnant women at gestational age of >20 weeks were registered in the study after taking informed consent. All relevant information was recorded on a predesigned questionnaire. Serum total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C) and triglyceride (TG) levels were measured in 151 women with pregnancy induced hypertension (PIH) and compared with the corresponding values for a control group of 55 normotensive pregnant women.

RESULT

Cholesterol levels were not statistically different between the patient group and controls. Triglyceride levels were significantly higher in the patient group than in controls. Women who developed hypertension after 20 weeks of gestation had 6.7, 4.2, 40.5, and 39.7% higher concentrations of TC, LDL-C, VLDL-C, and TG, respectively, and 28, 22.4, and 67.6% higher ratios of TC : HDL-C, LDL-C : HDL-C, and TG : HDL-C, respectively, as compared to the control subjects. The mean difference of the concentrations of HDL-C, VLDL-C, and TG, and the ratios TC : HDL-C, LDL-C : HDL-C, TG : HDL-C, and HDL-C : VLDL-C between the patients and control group was statistically significant.

CONCLUSION

The assessment of blood lipids may be helpful in the prevention of complications in PIH patients.