Diabetic dyslipidemia and its predictors among people with diabetes in Ethiopia: systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Dyslipidemia is an imbalance of lipid profiles. It increases the chance of clogged arteries and may cause heart attacks, strokes, and other circulatory disorders. Dyslipidemia affects the general population, but its severity is higher in diabetic populations. As a result, the chance of dyslipidemia-associated morbidity and mortality is highest in diabetic patients. In Ethiopia, around 2 to 6.5% of the population live with diabetes, but their lipid profiles are inconsistent across the studies. Therefore, this study aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence of diabetic dyslipidemia and its predictors among people with diabetes in Ethiopia.

Method: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted. The searches were carried out in MEDLINE via PubMed and OVID, EBSCO, Embase, and other supplementary gateways such as Google and Google Scholar, for articles published up to June 2023. The articles were searched and screened by title (ti), abstract (ab), and full text (ft). The quality of the eligible studies was assessed by the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. The heterogeneity was detected by the Cochrane Q statistic test and the I-squared (I²) test. Then subgroup analysis and meta-regression analysis were used to identify the source of the variations. A random or fixed-effect meta-analysis model was used to estimate the overall pooled prevalence and average effects. The publication bias was assessed by the funnel plot asymmetry test and/or Begg and Mazumdar's test for rank correlation (p-value < 0.05). The protocol has been registered in an international database, the prospective register of systematic reviews (PROSPERO), with reference number CRD42023441572.

Result: A total of 14 articles with 3662 participants were included in this review. The pooled prevalence of diabetic dyslipidemia in Ethiopia was found to be 65.7% (95% confidence interval (CI): 57.5, 73.9), I² = 97%, and p-value < 0.001. The overall prevalence of triglycerides (TG) and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-c) were found to be 51.8% (95% CI: 45.1, 58.6) and 44.2% (95% CI: 32.8, 55.7), respectively, among lipid profiles. In meta-regression analysis, the sample size (p value = 0.01) is the covariate for the variation of the included studies. Being female (adjusted odds ratio (AOR): 3.9, 95% CI: 1.5, 10.1), physical inactivity (AOR: 2.6, 95% CI: 1.5, 4.3), and uncontrolled blood glucose (AOR: 4.2, 95% CI: 1.9, 9.4) were found to be the determinants of dyslipidemia among diabetic patients.

Conclusion: This review revealed that the prevalence of diabetic dyslipidemia is high among people with diabetes in Ethiopia. Being female, having physical inactivity, and having uncontrolled blood glucose were found to be predictors of dyslipidemia among people with diabetes. Therefore, regular screening of lipid profiles and the provision of lipid-lowering agents should be strengthened to reduce life-threatening cardiovascular complications. Furthermore, interventions based on lifestyle modifications, such as regular physical activity and adequate blood glucose control, need to be encouraged.