Paper Title
SERUM CORTISOL, LIPID PROFILE, AND MICROALBUMIN LEVELS IN NEWLYDIAGNOSED ADULT HYPERTENSIVE WITH AND WITHOUT MALARIA INFECTION IN NNEWI, NIGERIA

Abstract
Abstract - Malaria and Hypertension are among the important public health challenges in sub-Saharan Africa including Nigeria.Microalbuminuria and dyslipidemia has been regarded as two predictors of cardiovascular and renal dysfunction. This study is a hospital-based cross sectional study designed to evaluate the serum cortisol, lipid profile and microalbumin level in adult hypertensive with and without malaria attending NnamdiAzikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi, Anambra State, Nigeria. One hundred and fifty adult volunteers were randomly recruited from nephrology clinic for the study. 50 of them were newly hypertensive individuals (20 males and 30 females), 50 were hypertensive with malaria infection (25 males and 25 females) and 50 normotensive participants (26males and 24 females) within the age range of 30-90 years. Methods: Blood sample was collected from each of the participants for assaying lipid profile (Total cholesterol, Triglycerides, low density Lipoprotein (LDLc) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol, (HDLc), cortisol andmicroalbumin using enzymatic methods. Peripheral malaria was determined using rapid detection and the Giemsa stain technique. Results: The mean serum cortisol, TC, LDL-C, triglycerides and microalbumin levels were significantly higher while HDL-C was lower in hypertensive individuals with/without malaria parasite infection than normotensive individuals (p≤.05 respectively) though more in malaria infected individuals. Body mass index (BMI), waist-to- hip ratio (WHR), systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure(DBP) were significantly higher in hypertensive with/without malaria infection than normotensive individuals (p≤.05). Conclusions: There is established evidence of risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and renal dysfunction which was more severe in hypertensive with malaria infection. Hence, monitoring hypertensive patients for malaria infection is very necessary and should be a routine check to curb complications and disease progression in this population.