Lipid and ceramide metabolism disorders among people with arterial hypertension working in coal-mining industry

Aim – to analyze disorders of lipid and ceramide metabolism in individuals engaged in underground coal mining with arterial hypertension (AH). Material and methods. The study included 209 male miners from Kuzbass. Anamnesis collection, anthropometry and blood pressure (BP) measurement were performed. Serum levels of lipid profile parameters (total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-, very low-, and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C, VLDL-C, HDL-C), apolipoproteins A and B (Apo A, Apo B), lipoprotein (a) (Lp(a))), as well as the levels of fifteen ceramides (Cer) containing fatty acid residues with different hydrocarbon chain lengths were determined. Verification of AH and dyslipidemia (DLP) was carried out in accordance with current clinical guidelines. Results. The prevalence of AH and DLP was 43.5 % and 64.1 %, respectively. Of the 91 respondents with AH, 82 (90.1 %) had stage 1 AH and 9 (9.9 %) had stage 2 AH. The most common variants of DLP were hypercholesterolemia (HC) (61.7 %) and elevated Apo B levels (50.7 %). Individuals with AH had a worse lipid profile: median levels of TC (5.38 mmol/L, p = 0.020), TG (1.26 mmol/L, p = 0.010), and VLDL cholesterol (0.57 mmol/L, p = 0.010) were significantly higher. Respondents with diagnosed AH had a statistically higher proportion of obese individuals (36.6 % vs. 16.1 %, p = 0.001) and higher serum glucose concentrations (5.65 and 5.5 mmol/L, respectively, p = 0.005). Individuals with stage 2 AH, compared to stage 1, differed in age and blood pressure levels. Multifactorial analysis showed that AH in miners is mainly associated with hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) and an increase in VLDL cholesterol. The analysis of the ceramide profile revealed a significantly lower content of Cer d18:1/21:0 in patients with AH (p = 0.022). Correlation analysis revealed a negative association of systolic blood pressure with Cer d18:1/21:0 (r = – 0.167, p = 0.018). Conclusions. AH and DLP are common cardiovascular risk factors among individuals employed in the coal mining sector. HC and elevated Apo B levels were identified as the most common types of DLP. Ceramide profile analysis showed a statistically significant decrease in Cer d18:1/21:0 concentration in individuals with AH, which requires further study to assess its protective role. The most unfavorable clinical and lipid profile was observed in individuals with AH compared to respondents without AH. The results of multifactorial analysis demonstrated the association of AH with lipid metabolism disorders in coal industry workers.

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