Serum lipid levels in black diabetics at Baragwanath Hospital: our concepts of coronary heart disease probed.

Cholesterol, triglyceride and phospholipid levels were measured in the serum of fasting adult diabetics who regularly attended Baragwanath Hospital, Johannesburg. A total of 149 subjects were studied (69 males and 80 females). Correlation coefficients were determined between the lipid levels and between additional variables of age, obesity and duration of diabetes. Significant correlations were found between cholesterol and phospholipid levels in males and females and between cholesterol and triglyceride levels in males only. Of interest is the lack of correlation between the degree of obesity and any lipid level. A notable finding was that the cholesterol concentration was bimodally distributed in the males and possibly in the females. About half the subjects had high serum lipid levels, apparently for the duration of their diabetes. In addition, this population showed a large number of other factors associated with a significant risk of developing coronary heart disease (CHD); yet, this disease was exceedingly rare in the population. It is suggested that there is some undefined factor(s) which is powerfully protective against CHD in Blacks.