Serum lipids and lipoprotein patterns in adults in a rural area of Jamaica - abstract

ABSTRACT

In a cardivascular-diabetes survey we examined 77 percent of a defined population of 695 rural Jamaican aged 25-64. Fastings and 1-hour post glucose load blood samples were drawn. Serum cholesterol, triglycerides and blood glucose were measured in the fasting and glucose in the 1-hour samples using Auto Analyzer techniques. Lipoprotein pater electrophoresis was run on the fasting serum within 48 hours of collection. A 12-lead electrocardiogram, blood pressure and a chest X-ray were taken and an effort pain questionnaire completed. Cholesterol values ranged from 98-545 Mg percent with a mean and standard deviation for males of 204.6, and 41.3 mg percent respectively and for females 226.3 and 37.5 mg percent respectively. Triglycerides ranged from 24-400 mg percent with a mean and standard deviation for males of 80.1 and 43.5mg percent respectively and for females 79.7 and 44.3mg percent respectively. The triglyceride distributions were markedly skewed. Cutting points to distinguish high from normal levels of lipids were determined statistically at the 95 percent points of the distributions for each sex and each of four age groups. Respondents were typed according to the method of Fredrickson et al. by refeference both to the electrophoretic strip and the lipid levels. Overall, 7.3 percent of males and 7.9 percent of females had both abnormal trips and lipids, with predominace of pattern types II and IV. The typeIV abnormality (high triglycerides) was associated with obesity and glucose intolerance type II (high cholesterol) only with glucose intolerance in women. Neither blood pressure nor cardiothoracic ratio was higher nor ECG ischaemia and angina more common among the abnormals than normals. Although high lipids levels are frequently found in Lawrence Tavern they are not apparently associated with manifestations of ischaemic heart disease or high blood pressure (AU)