Variation in Common Lipid Parameters in Malaria Infected Patients - A One Year Cross Sectional Study

Abstract

Background and objectives Malaria is an important infectious disease and serum lipid profile changes have been observed during the course of infection. The present study was aimed to assess the lipid profile in patients with malaria infection. Methodology This one year cross sectional study was done from January 2013 to December 2013 in the Department of Medicine, KLES Dr. Prabhakar Kore Hospital and Medical Research Centre, Belgaum. A total of 50 adult patients with clinical features of malaria infection were investigated for serum lipid profile changes. Results Majority of the patients were males (82%) with male to the female ratio 4.5:1. The mean age was 33.96 ± 12.72 years. At presentation all the patients had fever with chills and rigors (100%) while generalized body pain was noted in 80% and the commonest clinical sign was pallor (40%). Systemic examination revealed, splenomegaly in 40%. Majority (86%) of the patients were positive for Plasmodium vivax. Thrombocytopenia was noted in 64% of the patients. Serum lipid profile estimation in these patients revealed that 60% of the patients had low total cholesterol levels (100 to 150 mg/dL), 56% of them had low LDL levels with value being less than 50 mg/dL and , 58% of patients had low HDL levels (<20 mg/dL) whereas 92% of the patients with hypertriglyceridemia (>150 mg/dL). Incidentally we found that patients with low LDL cholesterol level had low platelet count (51.25±29.67; p=0.035). Conclusion Patients with malaria infections may have lipid parameters alteration in terms of hypocholesterolemia, low HDL, low LDL levels and hypertriglyceridemia.