High-density lipoprotein cholesterol and cardiovascular disease in Spanish hypertensive women. The RIMHA study.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence of a low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) concentration in 11,042 hypertensive Spanish women aged >or=55 years, to identify factors associated with a low concentration, and to evaluate its relationship with cardiovascular disease (CVD).


METHODS
Analysis of RIMHA cross-sectional study findings. Data on demographic, biochemical and clinical variables were obtained. Relationships between a low HDL-C concentration (<46 mg/dL) and CVD and between the HDL-C concentration (in quintiles) and CVD were studied by multivariate logistic regression modeling.


RESULTS
The prevalence of a low HDL-C concentration was 24.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 23.5-25.1%), and was higher in women with diabetes or CVD. A low HDL-C concentration was independently associated with excess weight, smoking, diabetes and the presence of CVD, and inversely with age. The prevalence of CVD was higher in women with a low HDL-C concentration (24.7% vs. 18.4% in those with a normal concentration; P< .001). There was an independent association between a low HDL-C concentration and CVD after adjustment for other risk factors (odds ratio [OR]=1.42; 95% CI, 1.26-1.60; P< .001) and with silent target organ damage (OR=1.31; 95% CI, 1.15-1.49; P< .001). Similarly, there was an independent inverse association between the HDL-C concentration (in quintiles) and the prevalence of CVD, particularly for HDL-C concentrations <58 mg/dL.


CONCLUSIONS
One in four hypertensive women aged >or=55 years had a low HDL-C concentration, which was independently associated with the presence of CVD. Moreover, there was an inverse association between the HDL-C concentration and the prevalence of CVD, even at normal HDL-C concentrations.
Coca
Antonio
A
Unidad de Hipertensión Arterial, Servicio de Medicina Interna General, Instituto de Medicina y Dermatología, Hospital Clínic (IDIBAPS), Universidad de Barcelona, Barcelona, España. acoca@clinic.ub.es
Cea-Calvo
Luis
L
Lozano
José V
JV
Inaraja
Verónica
V
Fernández-Pérez
Cristina
C
Navarro
Jorge
J
Bonet
Alvaro
A
Redón
Josep
J
D000368:Aged; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood* / Q000150:complications*; D015995:Prevalence; D013030:Spain
D008076:Cholesterol, HDL