Abstract
BACKGROUND: Hyperglycaemia in pregnancy (HIP) represents one of the most common medical challenges in pregnancy and the leading cause of adverse pregnancy outcomes the world over. Normal pregnancy is characterized by physiological adaptations such as progressive gestation-dependent increases in maternal triglycerides and total cholesterol which could be affected by insulin resistance, a common denominator affecting glucose and lipid metabolism. The study aimed to compare the patterns among pregnant women with HIP and those without HIP and determine the correlates of dyslipidaemia in pregnant women with HIP. METHODOLOGY: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study. A total of 204 participants were recruited, made up of 65 women with HIP (cases) and 139 normoglycaemic women (controls). The data collected included demographics, anthropometric measurements, and medical history. Lipid profile assays were done using Roche Cobass C111 automated analyser (sdLDL was isolated using the Hirano method prior to analysis). RESULTS: The prevalence of HIP was found to be 31.7% among the study population. Dyslipidemia defined by LDL, TG, TC, HDL, and sdLDL was seen in 60%, 38.5%, 22.5%, 19%, and 30% respectively. Women with HIP had a slightly higher risk of dyslipidemia than normoglycaemic women. Overall, the difference in dyslipidemia between HIP and normoglcaemic women was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Dyslipidemia in pregnancy is a relatively common finding in the Nigerian population. However, the pattern of dyslipidemia in normoglycaemic pregnant women is largely similar to the pattern seen in women with hyperglycaemia in pregnancy in the Nigerian population.