title: Relationship between waist circumference and cholesterol in Central Africans with congestive heart failure.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There are controversies as to what the traditional risk factors for coronary heart disease should be in sub-Saharan Africa.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the relationship between cholesterol and cardiovascular disease risk factors including Helicobacter pylori infection in black Africans with congestive heart failure.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional and observational study of 48 men and 52 women.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Congestive heart failure was associated with abdomal obesity, hypertension, chronic renal failure, moderate levels of low HDL-C, excessive alcohol intake and hyperuricaemia, but low levels of cholesterol and triglycerides. TC was related by Univariate analysis with red cells, glucose, weight, waist circumference with HDL-C, CRP, fibrinogen and IgG antibodies against H pylori. Multivariate analysis revealed that waist circumference (B=0.688) and HDL-C (B=0.826) were the significant determinants of TC. There was a respective U-shaped relationship between CVD (P>0.05), chronic renal failure (P<0.05) H. pylori-induced chronic gastritis (P<0.05) and the HDL-categories. Ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction were significantly (p<0.05) associated with low HDL-C, respectively. Clinical insulin resistance (P<0.01) was predominantly more commonin the intermediate HDL-C category than in low and high HDL-categories. There was an inverse relation between lower TC: HDL-C ratio, high HDL-C and abdominal obesity/ insulin resistance in men. H. pylori gastritis was positively related to higher TC: HDL-C ratio in both men and women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preventive measures, more studies on the interplay between HDL-C level and its function and a specific ethnic dfinition of metabolic syndrome in the African are needed.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of Kinshasa, DR Congo. longombenza@yahoo.fr
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Longo-Mbenza
authors.forename: H F A
authors.initials: HF
authors.lastname: Mambune
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Kasiam
authors.forename: E K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Vita
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Fuele
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Nsenga
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mabwa
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Nzuzi
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000886:Anthropometry; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D003223:Congo / Q000453:epidemiology; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016481:Helicobacter Infections; D016480:Helicobacter pylori; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D014280:Triglycerides; D049629:Waist-Hip Ratio / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
chemical_list: D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D014280:Triglycerides; D002784:Cholesterol