ABSTRACT

 Plasma total cholesterol is both unhealthy (in a concentration above the upper limit of normal:>240mg/dl) and as well important in the body (in a concentration within the reference range: <200 to <240mg/dl) . In this study, the levels of plasma total cholesterol (T.CHOL) and basal metabolic index (BMI) were evaluated in an apparently 205 healthy workers, aged between 20-60 years, including 113 males (55.2%) and 92 females (44.8%), civil servants in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria, using standard laboratory techniques and procedures. The plasma samples were evaluated for total cholesterol (T.CHOL), high density lipoprotein (HDL), triglyceride (TGL), and low density lipoprotein (LDL), the later estimated using Friedwald equation. The results ofthis study showed that the overall mean values of plasma T.CHOL concentrations for male and female subjects of the study population were 4.93 ± 0.97mmol/L and 4.87 + 1.05mmol/L respectively. These plasma T.CHOL values were within the reference range irrespective of age or sex. Also, the overall mean values of plasma HDL (mmol/L) in male and female subjects of the study population were 1.58 ± 0.63 and 1.43 ± 0.55 respectively. Overall mean values of plasma LDL (mmol/L) for male and female subjects were 2.75 ± 0.99 and 2.88 ± 0.89 respectively. The overall mean values of BMI for male and female subjects of the study population were 24.95± 4.05kg/m2 and 24.04 ±3.65kg/m2 respectively. About 57.07% of the subjects showed mean BMI values (kg/m2) within the reference range of >18.5 to <24.9, while about 33.66% were overweight and 7.32% were obese. The plasma T.CHOL did not correlate significantly (p>0.05) with BMI but correlated significantly (p<0.05) with age. Both HDL and LDL did not correlate significantly (p>0.05) with BMI. However, there was no significant difference between T.CHOL, TGL, and LDL with respect to age. In conclusion, findings from this study suggest more frequent surveillance of both rural and urban Nigerian population for factors of coronary heart disease (CHD), especially as the age ofthe subject advances.