Lipoprotein (a), Lipid Profile and Mean Platelet Volume in Hypothyroid Patients in Sana'a, Yemen: A Case-Control Study

Objectives: This study aimed to measure lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)], lipid profile and mean platelet volume (MPV) in hypothyroid patients compared to healthy controls.Methods: An unmatched case-control study was conducted involving 100 subjects (50 overt hypothyroidism patients and 50 healthy controls admitted to the University of Science and Technology Hospital, Al-Thawra Hospital and Al-Jomhori Hospital- Sana'a, Yemen during the period from May 2013 to March 2014. Data were collected by in-person interview using a structured questionnaire followed by weight and height measurements. Fresh blood samples were collected and analyzed using electrochemiluminescent, spectrophotometric and immunoturbidimetric methods for estimating Lp(a), lipid profile and MPV parameters.Results: Hypothyroid patients had a significantly higher concentration of Lp(a) compared to the control. Total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels were also significantly higher in hypothyroid patients. Serum level of free triiodothyronine (FT3) was negatively correlated with Lp(a), TC and LDL-C (r=–0.380, p=0.007; r=–0.354, p=0.012; r=–0.350, p=0.013, respectively). However, serum thyroid-stimulating hormone was positively correlated with Lp(a), TC and LDL-C (r=0.344, p=0.015; r=0.299, p=0.035; r=0.405, p=0.004, respectively) among hypothyroid patients. MPV levels, on the other hand, showed a strong positive correlation with (r=0.611, p=0.001).Conclusions: These findings indicate that overt hypothyroidism patients tend to have increased Lp(a) and atherogenic lipids that may contribute to increasing risk of atherosclerosis. However, hypothyroid patients showed no significant difference compared to the controls regarding the MPV