Fasting blood glucose, erythrocyte counts hemoglobin levels of 131 Libyan diabetic women of Tripoli , Libya were determined. The respective mean values were 223 +/- 7 mg X dl-1, 4.97 +/- 0.034 X 10(6) X mm-3 and 14.4 +/- 0.127 g X dl-1. Sixty-five percent of these diabetic women were obese. The highest percent of diabetics belong to the age group 46-55 years. The increase in prevalence of diabetes correlates with an increase in obesity. A significant positive correlation was found between body surface area and fasting blood glucose levels (r = 0.65; P less than 0.001). Elevated levels of erythrocyte count and hemoglobin were present in these diabetic patients. Significant correlations were found between body surface area and erythrocyte count, as well as between fasting blood glucose levels and erythrocyte count, indicating the effect of obesity and diabetes on erythrocyte numbers. A significant correlation was found between fasting blood glucose levels and hemoglobin (r = 0.35; P less than 0.001). The elevated levels of hemoglobin present in these patients may be the result of haemoconcentration due to polyuria, which is always present in poorly controlled diabetic patients. The results suggest a close relationship between diabetes and obesity. Regulation of body weight/surface area is an important factor in the control of diabetes. The elevated levels of erythrocyte count and hemoglobin reflect poor control of blood glucose levels in these diabetic patients.

Negative correlation was observed between erythrocyte count (RBC) and mean corpuscular volume (MCV) or mean corpuscular haemoglobin (MCH) in both sexes of diabetic and non-diabetic Libyans. The slopes of regression lines for MCV-RBC and MCH-RBC of diabetic patients were significantly lower (P less than 0.001) than those of their non-diabetic counterparts. Positive correlation was found between MCH and MCV. The slope of the regression line for MCH-MCV of diabetic patients was not significantly different from that of non-diabetic subjects.

Background: There are many recent studies showing that hypertension, and cardio-vascular disease is linked to inflammation. The higher CRP levels are significantly correlated with hypertension. CRP estimation is used as a surrogate marker in evaluation and predicting the prognosis of all hypertensive patients. Many of the epidemiologic studies had shown the association of CRP levels with future cardiovascular events and hypertension. Bilirubin has been shown to be an effective antioxidant both in vitro and in vivo. The excess body fat and distribution is an important contributor to the association between obesity and high BP. Aims and objectives: The objective was to study the relationship between CRP, Bilirubin and selected anthropometric parameters among both hypertensive and non hypertensive subjects. Methods: We have conducted a hospital based descriptive observational study using purposive non random sampling method on 150 subjects; 87 hypertensive and 77 were non hypertensive. Age, systolic BP, diastolic BP, weight, height, waist circumference, hip circumference, SAD, total Bilirubin, T cholesterol, HDL-C, Triglycerides, LDL-C were primary continuous variables. BMI, WHR, WHtR were taken as secondary variables. Results: CRP, Waist circumference, WHtR and SAD have a positive correlation with both systolic and diastolic BP. Odds ratio was 12.18 for CRP. Total Bilirubin levels have a negative correlation with systolic and diastolic BP. Odds ratio was 7.81. Diastolic BP had positive correlation with Weight, Hip circumference and BMI. Conclusion: We had demonstrated elevated CRP, low Bilirubin levels, abnormal SAD and Waist circumference were associated with blood pressure levels. These parameters are useful and cost-effective tool for predicting and evaluating Hypertension.