ABSTRACT
Background: Some rural non-Caucasian ethnic groups have genetic protective factors for the development of chronic non-communicable diseases. Studies performed in Mapuche and Aymara ethnic groups in Chile, found significantly lower prevalence rates. Aymaras are the second most common ethnic population in Chile. Aim: To determine the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors in a native Aymara ethnic population. Material and Methods: We studied 276 native Aymara people with a median age of 53 years (63% women), registered in the rural clinics of Camiña and Putre. The frequency of hypertension, Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (DM2), dyslipidemia, overweight, obesity and smoking were determined. Results: The frequency of overweight and obesity was 38% and 38.4% respectively. The prevalence of hypertension and DM2 were 18.5% and 6.9% respectively. Thirty-five percent had elevated total cholesterol, 21% had high LDL cholesterol, 48% had low HDL cholesterol and 45.7% had high triglyceride levels. Two percent smoked. Conclusions: In this group of Aymara individuals, we found a markedly lower prevalence of hypertension and DM2, despite the high prevalence of obesity and dyslipidemia.