The effects of NORPLANT® on clinical chemistry in Singaporean acceptors after 1 year of use: Metabolic changes

Abstract

In this longitudal study involving 100 Singaporean acceptors, the effects of NORPLANT® on their metabolic function was evaluated. With respect to liver function, the results indicate possible hepatocellular dysfunction; there was a significant rise in mean serum bilirubin from 0.55 mg/dl to 0.87 mg/dl after 12 months of use (p < 0.001). This rise could not be attributed to a skewed distribution of mean value as the difference achieved statistical significance using the paried 't' test as well as the Wilcoxon signed rank test using the median distribution. In terms of the effects of NORPLANT® on lipid metabolism, we have demonstrated a significant rise in HDL-cholesterol (1.08 mmol/l ± 0.34 ro 1.13 mmol/l ± 0.24; p < 0.05) with significant decreases in mean serum triglycerides (1.21 mmol/l ± 0.74 to 0.89 mmol/l ± 0.45; p < 0.002) and total cholesterol (5.05 mmol/l ± 1.02 to 4.64 mmol/l ± 0.81; p < 0.001) after one year of use. There was also a significant rise in the HDL-cholesterol/total cholesterol ratio after 1 year (0.225 ± 0.086 cf 0.250 ± 0.059; p < 0.001). As we have not incorporated a simultaneous non-pill treated control group, the observed changes in lipoprotein lipids could be attributed to extraneous factors such as diet, exercise or other environmental changes. Nevertheless, the findings though speculative indicate NORPLANT® use to be non-contributory to cardiovascular risk and indeed it may be protective factor against such risks in this population.