Prospective study among male employees in industry. I. Prevalence of hyperlipoproteinemia.

In a primary prevention study performed in an industrial preventive health center in Göteborg, Sweden, 676 male employees, aged 40-67 years, have been screened for the presence of elevated serum lipid/lipoprotein values, and the estimated prevalence of hyperlipoproteinemia (according to the cut points) was 25.8%. The hyperlipoproteinemias were distributed among the three major types, II A, II B and IV, as 12.8, 1.9 and 11.1%, respectively. The incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) (n = 13), pathologic ECG at rest (n = 42), elevated systolic or diastolic BP, and overweight were compared between 128 males with hyperlipoproteinemia and 100 matched normolipidemic controls from the same population. Hyperlipoproteinemia type IV was most common in males aged 50 (48-52) years. In type IV the mean systolic BP was higher (p less than 0.05) than in the controls and overweight was more frequent, particularly in males aged 50 (p less than 0.05). There were, however, no statistically significant correlations among the variables, serum lipids (cholesterol and triglycerides), BP (systolic or diastolic) and body weight (expressed in relation to height) in type IV. CHD (p less than 0.01) were more common among males with hyperlipoproteinemia than in the controls. The data from the present and earlier studies suggest that hyperlipoproteinemia should be looked for in particular among males aged 50, among males with elevated systolic BP and/or overweight, as well as among males already presenting signs or symptoms of CHD or a pathologic ECG.