Prevalence and pattern of lipid profile among patients with diabetes mellitus attending a tertiary teaching hospital in Nepal

Background: Dyslipidemia, a well-known major risk factor for coronary heart disease, is commonly associated with macro-vascular complications in patients with diabetes mellitus. Increased level of triglycerides and reduced levels of HDL cholesterol are common lipid abnormalities in diabetes. Objectives: The aim of the study was to study the prevalence and pattern of lipid abnormalities among diabetic patients attending general practice outpatient department in Kathmandu Medical College Teaching Hospital. Methodology: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted in the Department of General Practice and Emergency of Kathmandu Medical College Teaching Hospital, Duwakot, Bhaktapur. Convenience sampling technique was used.After obtaining informed consent, 120 diabetic patients from January 2020 to March 2020 were included. The data collected was entered in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software and analyzed. Ethical clearance was taken from the Institutional Review Committee of Kathmandu Medical College.   Results:The average TC, HDL, TG and LDL level among the female participants were 186.18 mg/dl, 41.91 mg/dl, 194.63 mg/dl, 111.88 mg/dl respectively and 186.30 mg/dl, 38.80 mg/dl, 205.60 mg/dl, 125.80 mg/dl among the male participants respectively.Eighty-five (71%) patients had a low HDL level. Total cholesterol was found to be high in 38(32%) participants. LDL cholesterol was high in 77(64%) participants. The triglyceride level was high in 85(71%) participants. Conclusion: This study showed that some diabetic individuals have a lipid abnormality while others did not. This shines light on the importance of regular testing for lipid profile in diabetic individuals because we cannot reasonably predict when a patient will develop dyslipidemia.