The Evaluation of Serum Lipid Profile in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients at a Tertiary Care Centre in Western India: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is known as a metabolovirus due to its impact on lipid and glucose metabolism in the liver. Previous literature showed a trend of hypolipidemia and reduced risk of metabolic syndrome in hepatitis B surface antigen-positive patients. However, data from the Indian population are lacking. We evaluate the relation of lipid profile with HBV infection and severity of liver disease. Materials and Methods: This was an observational cross-sectional study in which 50 patients with chronic hepatitis B and 43 anthropometrically matched seronegative controls were enrolled. Demographical, clinical, and laboratory data including lipid profile (high-density lipoprotein [HDL], low-density lipoprotein [LDL], triglycerides, and total cholesterol [TC]) were collected. Seropositive patients were categorized based on prognostic models (model for end-stage liver disease [MELD] and Child-Pugh score) for further analysis. Results: Our study revealed significant low levels of serum TC, HDL, and LDL cholesterol in hepatitis B patients compared to seronegative controls (133.06 vs. 162.39, 35.56 vs. 43.65, and 76.62 vs. 99.95 mg/dl respectively, P < 0.05). The patients with high MELD and Child-Pugh score were associated with hypolipidemia. Significant low levels of LDL and TC were observed in Child-Pugh class C in comparison to class A (94.8 vs. 149.2 and 50.6 vs. 87.9 mg/dl respectively, P < 0.05). Conclusions: A significant reduction in various lipid parameters was seen with chronic hepatitis B. Furthermore, prognostic score (high MELD and Child-Pugh score) were associated with hypolipidemia.