title: Prevalence of low HDL-cholesterol in patients with cardiovascular risk factors: The ECHOS (Etude du Cholesterol HDL en Observationnel) French Survey.
abstract: A low concentration of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular heart disease (CHD), but little is known about the distribution of HDL-C in France. This study evaluated the prevalence of low HDL-C among a large French population (5232 patients) with other cardiovascular risk factors. Depending on the guidelines used, the prevalence of low HDL-C varied from 8.7% (cutoff value of 35 mg/dl) to 26.9% (National Cholesterol Education Program metabolic syndrome cutoff values). The prevalence of low HDL-C gradually increased with the number of associated risk factors. We identified three independent risk predictors for low HDL-C: hypertriglyceridaemia (HTG), abdominal obesity and gender. Overall, the frequency of HDL-C assessment was very high (>85%) and it was highest in patients with hypercholesterolaemia or a history of CHD. Risk factors more frequently associated with low HDL-C (i.e. HTG, abdominal obesity and type 2 diabetes) were not associated with a more frequent assessment of HDL-C. Our findings indicate that in France, the prevalence of low HDL-C remains relatively high, particularly for patients with obesity and HTG.
authors.affiliation: Point Médical, Dijon, France. michelfarnier@nerim.net
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Farnier
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Garnier
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Yau
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dejager
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Verpilleux
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D015228:Hypertriglyceridemia / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D008076:Cholesterol, HDL