The association of apolipoprotein B and low density lipoprotein with cardiovascular risk factors in the Thai population.
BACKGROUND
Although direct and calculated low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol) has been widely used as an important predictor for cardiovascular risk, many studies have shown that apolipoprotein B (apo B) may be a more important lipoprotein marker.


METHODS
We performed a cross-sectional study on 191 volunteers who were Shinawatra employees during their annual physical check up. The following cardiovascular risk factors were recorded or measured: direct and calculated LDL, apo B, gender age, total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol (HDL), calculated LDL, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, smoking status, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, and waist-hip ratio (WHR). Apo B, direct LDL and calculated LDL levels were tested for their associations with other potential cardiovascular risk factors.


RESULTS
There were a total of 76 men and 115 women with an average age of 28.8 +/- 5.4 years. Male gender, cigarette smoking, high cholesterol, high triglyceride, high fasting plasma glucose, hypertension, high WHR and high BMI were associated with increased apo B level. Only male gender and high cholesterol were associated with increased calculated and direct LDL level. The association of direct and calculated LDL-cholesterol level with cardiovascular risk factors appears to be similar.


CONCLUSIONS
We demonstrated that apo B level correlates more with other cardiovascular risk factors compared to direct and calculated LDL-cholesterol. The clinical relevance of this finding needs to be explored in large-scale studies.
Krittayaphong
Rungroj
R
Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand. sirkt@mahidol.ac.th
Chotinaiwatarakul
Chunhakasem
C
Kangkagate
Charuwan
C
Bhuripanyo
Kiertijai
K
Mahanonda
Nithi
N
D000328:Adult; D001055:Apolipoproteins B / Q000097:blood*; D001786:Blood Glucose; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
D001055:Apolipoproteins B; D001786:Blood Glucose; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D014280:Triglycerides