Background: Both dyslipidemia and hypertension are important risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Studies have found that there is a higher risk of dyslipidemia among hypertensive patients. This study was designed to investigate the epidemiologic features of some forms of dyslipidemia in rural hypertensive adults in China.
Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted during 2004 to 2006 through a cluster multistage sampling of a resident group of 6412 hypertensive individuals (2805 men and 3607 women), aged >/= 35 years, in the countryside of Liaoning, China. The cutpoints of lipid phenotypes were based on the 1992 recommendations of the European Atherosclerosis Society.
Results: The most prevalent abnormality was isolated hypercholesterolemia (34.1% for men and 37.3% for women). Mixed dyslipidemias was the second most prevalent abnormality (14.3%). Isolated hypertriglyceridemia was observed in 5.6% of the sample. The prevalence of normotriglyceridemic hypoalphalipoproteinemia and severe dyslipidemia was 2.0% and 3.3%, respectively. Only a few samples had the abnormality of hypertriglyceridemia/hypoalphalipoproteinemia (.8% for men and .3% for women). The prevalence of isolated hypertriglyceridemia, mixed dyslipidemias, and severe dyslipidemia was higher in diabetic patients compared with nondiabetic patients, in either men or women. Compared with those of normal weight, obese men had a higher prevalence of mixed dyslipidemias and hypertriglyceridemia/hypoalphalipoproteinemia, whereas isolated hypertriglyceridemia was prevalent in both genders.
Conclusion: The prevalence of lipid phenotypes among these hypertensive patients was relatively high, even in rural China. Diabetes and obesity, the modifiable risk factors, increased the likelihood of having several forms of an atherogenic lipid profile.