Dyslipidemia according to gender and race: The Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil).

BACKGROUND

There is little information regarding lipid profiles of racially mixed populations. Differently from other Latin American countries, the proportion of African ancestry is much higher in Brazil.

OBJECTIVE

Verify whether there are differences in the lipid profile between black and white subjects and if people with mixed ancestry have a pattern more closely resembling whites or blacks.

METHODS

A total of 15,105 civil servants aged 35-74 years from the ELSA-Brasil study had their fasting lipid profile determined. Race/skin color was self-reported as white, mixed, black, Asian, or indigenous. Dyslipidemia subtypes were classified as high triglycerides (TG) (≥150 mg/dL), low HDL-C (<40 [men] and <50 [women] mg/dL), and high LDL-C (≥130 mg/dL or ever taking lipid-lowering agents). The adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for dyslipidemia were calculated for each racial group using white participants as the reference group by logistic regression.

RESULTS

Elevated concentrations in LDL-C and TG and low-HDL-C had a lower prevalence in the black group compared with whites after multivariate adjustment including adiposity and socioeconomic status. For women and men, respectively, the odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for high LDL-C are 0.94 (0.89-0.99) and 0.93 (0.87-0.99); for high TG, 0.63 (0.54-0.74) and 0.92 (0.84-1.00); and for low HDL-C, 0.77 (0.66-0.91) and 0.78 (0.64-0.94). The mixed race group presented a pattern of dyslipidemia closer to white than to black subjects.

CONCLUSIONS

Blacks in comparison with whites had lipid concentrations that are associated with a lower risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The mixed racial group had lipid concentrations closer to the white grouping.