SERUM LIPID PROFILE AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH HYPERTENSION IN INDIA–A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Background
Hypertension is widely encountered in Indian outpatient practice, often appearing alongside othermetabolic disturbances that go unnoticed for several years. Lipid abnormalities are among the mostfrequent of these accompanying changes, yet their relationship with hypertension in communitysettings is not always clear, especially when individuals seek care irregularly or undergo testing onlyduring screening drives.
Objective
To examine how fasting lipid parameters vary between hypertensive and normotensive adults in anIndian community sample, and to explore whether specific lipid markers show stronger associationswith elevated blood pressure.
Methods
This cross-sectional study included 260 adults recruited from community screening camps and routineoutpatient visits. Blood pressure was measured using standard procedures, and hypertension wasdefined as systolic ≥140 mmHg or diastolic ≥90 mmHg. Fastinglipid profiles were obtained throughenzymatic assays. Associations between lipid markers and hypertension were analysed using t-tests,chi-square tests, and subgroup comparisons across age, sex, and BMI.
Results
Hypertension was present in a little over one-third of participants. Mean total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and triglyceride levels were noticeably higher among hypertensive adults, while HDL-cholesterol tended to be lower. These differences were most apparent in middle-aged and overweightgroups. The proportion of participants with dyslipidaemia was also significantly higherin thehypertensive category (p<0.001). LDL-cholesterol showed the strongest association withhypertension, followed by triglycerides.

Conclusion
In this community sample, lipid abnormalities were more frequent and more pronounced among adultswith hypertension. The pattern suggests a shared metabolic pathway that may begin earlier than overtdisease. Incorporating routine lipid assessment into community blood pressure screening may helpidentify individuals at higher cardiometabolic risk in India.