Lipid Profile in Cigarette Smokers

Abstract

A prospective study conducted during the period of April to October 2007, compared serum levels of total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL- cholesterol, of 50 apparently healthy cigarette smokers as a test group, and 30 apparently healthy non smokers as a control group, who were chosen randomly from the teaching staff and students of the University of Science and Technology. The serum levels of total cholesterol triglycerides and LDL- cholesterol were all highly significantly raised (p<0.01) in the test group (smokers) Men + SD for controls versus non cigarette smokers. (189.7 + 18.8mg/dl versus 138.8 + 21.4); for serum total cholesterol. (198.6 + 23.8 mg/dl versus 155.3 + 22.1); for serum triglyceride. (143.4 + 18 mg/dl versus 77.7 + 16); for LDL – cholesterol. The mean level of HDL – cholesterol was found to be significantly reduced in the test group compared to the control group.(p<0.01). (56.8 + 12 versus 46.5 + 8.8 mg/dl); for serum HDL – cholesterol. More over cigarette smoking increased the level of serum total cholesterol, serum triglyceride, serum LDL and there a positive correlation with both, the number of cigarettes smoked per day and duration of smoking in years. In this study, it is concluded that, cigarette smoking is associated with hypercholestrolaedmia, and hyper tryglcerideamia with increase risk of for atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease.