Abstract
Objective The objective of this study was to compare serum lipid levels in patients suffering from osteoarthritis with the normal controls.
Methods: This study was conducted at Shifa College of medicine/ Shifa International Hospital Islamabad for the duration of one year and was formally approved by the Institutional Review Board and Ethics Committee of Shifa College of Medicine/ Shifa International Hospital Islamabad. The non-probability sampling technique was used. It was a case control study; in which number of subjects participated were hundred. Informed consent was taken. Group A included 50 patients of osteoarthritis and Group B included 50 age and gender matched controls. Serum cholesterol, triglycerides, low density lipoproteins and high density lipoprotein levels of 50 diagnosed patients of osteoarthritis were compared with age and gender matched controls by using Roche Cholesterol Liquid Reagent Assay on Roche/ Hitachi auto analyzer. These tests were done by enzymatic colorimetric method.
Results: The results of this study revealed that serum cholesterol and triglycerides levels were significantly raised in patients of osteoarthritis as compared to controls. Odds ratio (OR 5.7 and 3.4) with 95% confidence interval showed significant relationship between osteoarthritis and high serum cholesterol and high triglycerides levels. Furthermore results remained significant even after adjusting for other confounding factors like age, gender and obesity. However, LDL and HDL are not related significantly with osteoarthritis.
Conclusion: On the basis of the current study it is concluded that hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia are independently associated with osteoarthritis.

Key words: Osteoarthritis, serum cholesterol, triglycerides, Low density lipoprotein.