Plasma lipids in a rural population of Bangladesh

BACKGROUND: Plasma lipids are associated with cardiovascular diseases. Population-based data on plasma lipids are scarce in Bangladesh. METHODS: We investigated plasma lipid levels in a rural population of Bangladesh in 2001. Fasting blood was collected in 447 adults (157 men and 290 women) aged 20-79 years (mean+/-standard deviation 40+/-11 years in men, and 39+/-10 in women). RESULTS: The mean total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, triglycerides and total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio levels were 182+/-56, 39+/-10, 115+/-53, 139+/-72 mg/dl and 4.8+/-1.8, respectively. The prevalence of abnormal lipid levels were as follows: hypercholesterolemia (total cholesterol > or =240 mg/dl) 16.1%, high LDL cholesterol (> or =160 mg/dl) 20.4%, low HDL cholesterol (<40 mg/dl) 66.4%, hypertriglyceridemia (> or =200 mg/dl) 15.0% and total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratio (>5.5) 32.7%. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of dyslipidemias, especially in the case of low HDL cholesterol, appears to be high even in this rural population of Bangladesh.