EFFECT OF ANAEMIA ON SERUM CHOLESTEROL LEVEL IN MIDDLE AGED WOMEN

BACKGROUND: Anaemia is a widely prevalent public health problem where there is reduced delivery of oxygen to the tissues. Cholesterol is an important substance present in every cell membrane of our body. In this study serum cholesterol level in anaemic women is investigated for any association. AIM: To study the effect of anaemia on serum cholesterol level in BMI matched middle aged women. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After getting ethical committee approval, in this cross sectional study, BMI matched middle aged women attending Government Rajaji Hospital as outpatients were selected. Women with Hb>12 gm/dl (n=40) were taken as control group and women with Hb<12 gm/dl (n=40) were taken as study group and estimation of serum cholesterol was done for all of them. RESULTS: Statistical analysis of haemoglobin concentration and serum cholesterol level among the participants was done by one way ANOVA and the results were compared between the study and control group. Mean serum cholesterol level was significantly (p <0.001) reduced in study group (144.975 mg/dl) as compared with control group (171.925 mg/dl). CONCLUSION: In our study, blood haemoglobin levels correlated significantly with serum cholesterol concentration. In patients with anaemia, the lipid levels should be interpreted with caution.