Dyslipidemia Among Patients of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Abstract

Objective: To determine the frequency of dyslipidemia among patients suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis. Study Design: Descriptive study. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in Medicine Department in collaboration with Pathology Department of Khalifa Gul Nawaz Teaching Hospital Bannu, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The duration of study was two years from January 2016 to December 2017. Materials and Methods: A total of 187 cases were included. Inclusion criteria were all diagnosed patient of rheumatoid arthritis of any age and sex. Exclusion criteria were patients with history of diabetes mellitus, hypertension, endocrinopathies, alcohol intake and use of oral contraceptive. Fasting blood samples were analyzed to measure various fractions of lipids, blood sugar, cholesterol, thyroid hormones, and liver and kidney functions. The data collected was analyzed in SPSS version 20 for various variables. The results were presented in tables and graphs where required. Results: In this study male to female ratio was 0.5:1. The age range was from 22 to 60 years. Average age was 43.49 years + 10.94. Dyslipidemia was present in 48(25.67%) patients of Rheumatoid Arthritis; whereas 139(74.33%) patients didn't have dyslipidemia. Conclusion: Rheumatoid Arthritis patients have significant dyslipidemias which may leads to increased risk of cardiovascular diseases. Early diagnosis and treatment is mandatory to reduce morbidity and mortality. Dyslipidemia must be considered an essential part of RA and may be managed appropriately and in time to avoid/ minimize complications of cardiovascular diseases.

Keywords

• cholesterol, dylipidemia, high density lipoprotein, low density lipoprotein, rheumatoid arthritis, triglycerides.