Characteristics of the Anthropometry and Plasma Lipid Profiles of Patients with Simple and Combined Hypercholesterolemia

Huh, Young Rahn; Hwang, Kum Hee; Lim, Hyeon Sook

Abstract

Recent epidemiologic and clinical students have shown that plasma cholesterol and triglyceride levels are independent risk factors for coronary heart disease. However, there is not much data on the characteristics of anthropometry and lipid profiles of hypercholesterolemic patients with hypertiglyceridemia. In this study, 112 hypercholesterolemic subjects(T-C 240mg/dl) were divided into two groups by their plasma triglyceride levels. We compared the anthropometric measurements and lipid profiles of the subjects between the two groups : the simples hypercholesterolemic group(SHC, TG<200mg/dl) and the combined hypercholesterolemic group(CHC, TG 250mg/dl). The distribution of the subjects into the SHC and CHC groups was 36.6% and 47.3%, respectively. The frequency of the CHC patients decreased with age. The subjects in this group had higher weight, BMI, HWR, cricumferences of mid arm, waist, hip and thigh, and skinfold thicknesses of biceps and triceps than those of the SHC subjects. The difference of plasma total cholesterol level was mainly due to the difference of VLDL-C levels. These differences resulted in the CHC subjects having higher atherogenic indexes and T-C/HDL-C ratios than those of the SHC subjects. Also, the former had higher Apo-B and insulin levels than those the latter. However, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose and HDL-C levels were not significantly different between the two groups. These results suggest that hypercholesterolemic patients with hypertriglyceridemia have riskier lipid profiles for CHD than those of patients with normal triglyceridemia. They also indicate that CHC is closely associated with glucose resistance syndrome(obesity, hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia and hypertriglyceridemia), and more prevalent in young people.