Cardiovascular disease risk factors and markers of oxidative stress and DNA damage in leprosy patients in Southern Nigeria

Leprosy reduces quality of life of affected persons. Oxidative stress caused by reactive oxygen species may play a vital role in the pathogenesis of leprosy. This study evaluated anthropometric indices, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), lipid profile, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), total plasma peroxide (TPP), oxidative stress index (OSI), malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH) and 8-hydroxy-2-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdg) in leprosy patients. Sixty test participants of both genders, aged 18–65years and diagnosed of multibacillary leprosy and 30 apparently healthy controls were consecutively recruited for this study. The test participants comprised of 30 patients on multidrug therapy (MDT) and 30 patients relieved from therapy (RFT). Body mass index (BMI), Waist-hip ratio (WHR), FPG, lipid profile, TAC, TPP, OSI, MDA, GSH and 8-OHdg were determined using appropriate methods. Data were analyzed using Analysis of variance; p
Author summary This study shows that there are lower levels of total antioxidant capacity and higher levels of total plasma peroxide, malondialdehyde in leprosy patients undergoing multidrug therapy and those relieved from treatment and higher levels of 8-OHdg and oxidative stress index in leprosy patients undergoing multidrug therapy. This is suggestive of increased oxidative stress, in multibacillary leprosy patients irrespective of drug treatment status and increased oxidative DNA damage in those undergoing multidrug therapy. Antioxidants supplementation may be beneficial in the treatment of leprosy to protect against the effects of oxidative stress and DNA damage. Leprosy patients relieved from treatment may be susceptible to cardiovascular events as shown by higher levels of VLDL-cholesterol, triglycerides and atherogenic index of plasma observed in that group compared to controls. It therefore points to the need to monitor cardiovascular comorbidities in patients on multidrug therapy and those released from therapy.