Determinants of HDL-cholesterol and its Prediction of Coronary Disease Among Turks

The distribution of serum concentrations of HDLcholesterol (HDL-C), its correlation with other risk factors, its determinants and its association with coronary heart disease (CHD) likelihood was studied cross-sectionally in 2350 persons constituting the 2001/02 cohort of the Turkish Adult Risk Factor Study. Moreover, the prediction of future fatal and nonfatal CHD w as investigated in the 1 997/98 cohort comprising 2362 men and women free of CHD. HDL-C was generally measured with dry chemistry method using a Reflotron apparatus, but utilizing the direct method without precipitation in year 2001 and w as validated in over 6% of the cohort in a reference laboratory. Mean HDL-C was 38.0±10.0 and 45.3±1 1.3 mg/di in men and women, respectively, whose mean age was 52±12 years in the cross-sectional analysis. HDL-C levels were under 40 mg/di in 64% of men and in 35.5 of women. The inverse relationship between HDL-C and triglyceride concentrations was deınonstrated in increas ing deciles. In linear regression ınodels compris ing ll variables, smoking habit, waist circumference and physical inactivity suppressed HDL-C, whereas alcohol use was associated with elevation of this !eve!. The slope of the linear regression allowed following estimated independent changes (pKeywords: Epidemiology, HDL-cholesterol, coronary heart disease, risk factors, smoking, Turkish adults