Dyslipidemia and Its Relationship with DifferentAnthropometric Measures in Nigerian Adults

Abstract

Background: Dyslipidemia is a known risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and it appears that regional fat distribution plays a role in determining the type of dyslipidemia present in an individual. The present study aims at determining the relationship between dyslipidemia and anthropometric measures in an adult Nigerian population. Method: In a cross-sectional community based study, 229 subjects were selected by a stratified random sampling method. Body mass index (BMI), Waist Circumference (WC), and Waist to height ratio (W/Ht) were the anthropometric indices measured to determine their relationship with lipid profile which include total cholesterol(TC), triglyceride(TG), high density lipoprotein cholesterol(HDL-C), and low density lipoprotein cholesterol(LDL-C). Results: Anthropometric measures showed no correlations with lipid parameters but however correlated with systolic and diastolic blood pressures with WC having the strongest correlation.The overall prevalence of dyslipidemia in the study population was 58.1%. The pattern of dyslipidemia was as follows: 42.8% had low HDL-C, 21.4% had elevated TG, 2.6% had elevated TC and 1.7% had elevated LDL-C. Conclusion: Anthropometric measures can predict hypertension better than dyslipidemia. There is a high prevalence of dyslipidemia in Nigeria and this is mainly due to low HDL-C and elevated TG.