Investigations Survey on Prevalence of Cardiac Disease and its Risk Factors in Adults in Turkey: 4. Blood lipid Levels

Prevalence of various risk factors were sought in a representative sample of Turkish adults during a survey of 3689 subjects aged 20 years and over. This report describes data on plasma lipids (total cholesterol, TC, and triglycerides, Trg) which were determined by a portable analyzer (Reflotron). Mean TC values (in mg/dl) were low in the age group 20-29 years: 149 in men, 151 in women. Middle-aged men reached a plateau at a level of 188 mg/dl, whereas women attained their peak (204 mg/dl) in the age group 50-59. Participants from the Marmara, Aegean and Black Sea regions combined exhibited a mean level 10.3 mg/dl higher than those of the remaining four regions (p<0.01). Since a TC concentration of 240 mg/dl or over was found in % 6.8 of the sample (95 % confidence interval 6 and% 7.7), it was estimated that approximately 2.0 million Turkish men and women may be categorized as such. Serum Trg disclosed a lognormal distribution. The median and 95 percentile values were 119 and 314 mg/dl in men, 97 and 250 mg/dl in women. This indicated that, while Turkish men had slightly elevated Trg values in international comparisons, our women had higher levels than even British women. Participants from urban areas showed a significantly higher mean Trg concentration than those from rural areas. A strong relation existed between body mass index and Trg levels in Turkish adults. Hypertriglyceridemia (defined as >200 mg/dl) prevailed in % 9.8 of adult women and% 14.8 of men.