American Journal of Biology and Life Sciences 2018; 6(3): 50-54 http://www.openscienceonline.com/journal/ajbls ISSN: 2381-3784 (Print); ISSN: 2381-3792 (Online) Serum Lipid Profiles in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients on Haemodialysis at Parkview Renal Unit Sibusisiwe Sibanda, Danai Tavonga Zhou Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe Email address To cite this article Sibusisiwe Sibanda, Danai Tavonga Zhou. Serum Lipid Profiles in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients on Haemodialysis at Parkview Renal Unit. American Journal of Biology and Life Sciences. Vol. 6, No. 3, 2018, pp. 50-54. Received: June 11, 2018; Accepted: July 7, 2018; Published: August 10, 2018 Abstract Chronic kidney disease is a condition where there is loss of kidney function over time. Sometimes acute kidney injury develops into chronic kidney disease. In such situations, renal replacement therapy may be prescribed which includes kidney transplant, peritoneal dialysis, hemodialysis and hemodiafiltration. Haemodialysis is a process that uses diffusion principles to remove metabolites from the blood using a dialyzer. Chronic kidney disease patients are known to be at risk for cardiovascular diseases and the lipid profile and cardiovascular indices may be used to assess this. This cross-sectional study was used to assess lipid dysfunction in 55 chronic kidney disease patients, on haemodialysis, attending Parkview Renal Unit in Harare, Zimbabwe. Total cholesterol (TC) levels of all patients were in the normal ranges as recommended by the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) and The Kidney Dialysis Outcome Quality Initiative. Approximately 82% of the population had decreased high density lipoprotein (HDLc), 7% had elevated low density lipoprotein (LDLc), and 2% had a high LDLc/HDLc ratio while 4% had a high TC/HDLc ratio. Of the chronic kidney disease patients on haemodialysis at Parkview Renal Unit, at most 82% are at a risk of developing cardiovascular disease when determined using reduced HDLc levels as an index but risk is low when using CVD indeces. Keywords Chronic Kidney Disease, Haemodialysis, Lipid Profile, HDLc, LDLc, TC 1. Introduction When the kidneys are damaged or injured they fail to perform some of their important functions such as: removal of metabolites, regulating fluid and electrolyte balance and control of blood pressure [1]. Renal failure can be acute or chronic [2]. Acute kidney injury causes sudden reduction in renal filtration function [1, 3]. Causes include acute tubular necrosis, autoimmune kidney disease, cholesterol emboli, decreased blood flow, surgery, clotting disorders, urinary tract blockage, septicaemia and pregnancy complications [1, 3]. These may be treated by correcting high potassium levels, fluid overload with furosemide or haemodialysis for a short time [4]. Chronic kidney disease is a condition where there is loss of kidney function over time and also defined as less than 60ml/min/1.73m 3 for at least three months [1, 5]. Diabetes and hypertension are the main causes [1, 3, 5]. In such cases renal replacement therapy is prescribed- peritoneal dialysis, haemodialysis, haemodiafiltration and transplantation being options. Haemodialysis is the most common [1, 3, 6]. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in people with kidney disease on dialysis [7]. Cardiovascular disease comprises a group of ailments caused by problems in the heart and blood vessels. These consist of congenital heart disease, coronary heart disease, peripheral arterial disease, rheumatic heart disease (caused by rheumatic fever), cerebrovascular disease, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism [8]. The causes of cardiovascular diseases are several; hypertension and atherosclerosis being the most common in renal patients on haemodialysis. Approximately 80 to 85 percent of patients with chronic kidney disease are hypertensive [9]. Hypertension is a well-established risk factor for several cardiovascular diseases and for sudden cardiac death [9, 10]. Hypertension causes blood to flow