Lipid profile abnormalities & 10 yr risk of CVD assessment among adult in North East India: A cross-sectional study.

Background & Objectives: In India, lifestyle changes have contributed to increase in the number of people suffering from lipid profile abnormalities, which is a major risk factor for coronary artery diseases. The present study was aimed to estimate the prevalence of lipid profile abnormalities and 10 yr risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) among the adult population in west Tripura district and to study the association of lipid profile abnormalities and increased CVD risk with sociodemography, body mass index (BMI), hypertension, random blood sugar (RBS) and haemoglobin level.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted amongst 445 adults of 20 to 60 yr of age from a randomly selected block in west Tripura district. The 10 yr risk of CVD was estimated using the Framingham Risk Assessment Tool.

Results: The study revealed that overall 83.4 per cent adult population had lipid profile abnormalities, with 22.2, 42 and 70.3 per cent of participants having hypercholesterolaemia, hypertriglyceridaemia and low high-density lipoprotein level, respectively. Gender (P=0.02) and BMI (P<0.001) were the significant determinants of dyslipidaemia. Only 3.8 per cent of participants had intermediate or high risk of CVD, with all of them being males. Gender, age, occupation and RBS were significantly associated with increased CVD risk.

Interpretation & Conclusions: The study revealed a high burden of lipid profile abnormalities in the study population, with males having more risk of CVD. Hence, periodic screening of lipid profile abnormalities and risk of CVD should be incorporated at the primary care level to combat the CVD epidemic in India.