Serum HDL-C level of Iranian adults: results from sixth national Surveillance of Risk Factors of Non-Communicable Disease

BACKGROUND Reduced level of high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) is shown to be in association with the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD), metabolic syndrome, and chronic renal disease. Lack of a national representative research for assessing the level of HDL-C among Iranian adults, which is essential for health policy makers, was the motivation for this study. METHODS HDL-C levels of 4,803 Iranian adults aged 25-64 years old were measured by sixth national Surveillance of Risk Factors of Non-Communicable Disease (SuRFNCD) in 2011. Data were entered into STATA 12 software and were analyzed using fractional polynomial model and other statistical methods. RESULTS In average, Iranian adult women had 5.8 ± 0.3 mg/dL higher HDL-C level than men. The analysis showed that the HDL-C levels will be changed at most 3 mg/dL from the age of 25 to 64 years. Furthermore, it was shown that approximately half of the men and one third of the women had HDL-C level less than 40 mg/DL. Also HDL-C level of more than 60% of the women was less than 50 mg/dL. CONCLUSIONS High level of HDL-C among Iranian adults was shown in this study which can be a major reason of increasing incidence of heart diseases in Iran. Hence, formulating policy regulations and interventions in Iranian lifestyle to reduce HDL-C levels should be among top priorities for health politicians.