Assessment of lipid dysfunction in patients suffering from Rheumatoid Arthritis: A cross sectional study

Abstract

Aim: To assess the dyslipidemia in patients having Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Study Design: Cross sectional study

Place and duration: Services Hospital Hyderabad, Pakistan from November 2019 to May 2020.

Methodology: The diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis was made based on the criteria of the American College of Rheumatology. Lipid profiles and some other baseline laboratory investigations for all the patients were performed. 120 participants were taken for the study.

Results: A total of 120 patients were considered in this study. 104 were female (86.6%) and 16 patients were male (13.3%). The mean age of all the patients was 37.85±9.8 years. The mean period of the rheumatoid arthritis was 3.42±2.9 years. After laboratory investigations, it was found that 63 patients had dyslipidemia (52.5%) and out of these, 50 (41.6%) had a low level of high-density lipoproteins.

Conclusion: Chronic inflammatory state in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis often leads to dyslipidemia. Regular screening of lipid profiles should be done in such patients. Management of this dyslipidemia is necessary to avoid the risk of cardiovascular diseases.