Prevalence and risk factors of hypercholesterolemia among Thai men and women receiving health examinations.

The purpose of our study was to evaluate risk factors for hypercholesterolemia and correlates of serum lipid concentrations in Thai men and women. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 1392 patients (380 men and 1012 women) who received health examinations during July 1999 - February 2000 at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand. Serum total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG) and high density lipoprotein- cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations were determined using standard procedures. Logistic and linear regression procedures were used to assess the association of several covariates with risk for hypercholesterolemia. The results reveal that the prevalences of hypercholesterolemia (TC > or =200 mg/dl) among men and women were 66.8% and 66.0%, respectively. Among men, hypercholesterolemia was associated with older adults (OR = 3.26), and previous alcohol consumption (OR = 2.05). Risk factors for women included advanced age (OR = 3.19), and a family history of dyslipidemia (OR = 1.59). Serum TC and TG were positively associated with age and previous alcohol consumption among men. Among women, TC and TG were strongly associated with age, body mass index (BMI) and family history of dyslipidemia. In men and women, HDL-C was inversely associated with BMI. More emphasis should be placed on understanding the epidemiology of hypercholesterolemia and other dyslipidemias in Thai men and women. More information regarding risk factors will aid in the development of effective health promotion and disease prevention efforts.