Coronary heart disease risk factors among blood donors in northwest Ethiopia

Abstract

Objective: To establish reference blood levels of total blood cholesterol (TC), lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C & HDL-C) and triglyceride (TG) and determine the prevalence of hypercholesterolaemia and other coronary heart disease risk factors.

Design: Cross sectional study.

Setting: The blood bank at the Gondar College of Medical Sciences Hospital--a teaching and referral hospital in northwest Ethiopia.

Subjects: Adult, healthy men who who voluntarily donated blood between March 1996 and July 1997.

Main outcome measures: Mean, median and ranges of TC, LDL-C, HDL-C and TG; prevalence rates of hypercholesterolaemia, overweight, smoking and elevated blood pressures. Effect of age, BMI, residence, monthly income on blood lipid levels.

Results: A total of 501 donors were investigated and of these 316 (63%) were urban residents. The mean (SD) TC, LDL-C, HDL-C and TG levels in urban donors were 162.5 (35.1), 93.8 (33.9), 47.1 (8.1) and 108.1 (52.5); and in donors from rural area were 158.5 (30), 91.0 (30), 47.4 (7.4), and 98.6 (55.3), respectively; without significant difference between them. However, urban residency was significantly associated (B = 7.2, 95% CI = 1.5-12.9) with the total cholesterol level. The prevalence of hypercholesterolaemia (TC > 200 mg) was 10.4% in urban donors and 8.1% in rural donors (chi 2 = 0.75, p = 0.39). The prevalence rates of smoking, high blood pressure and overweight in donors from urban and rural areas were, 14% versus 6%, 14% versus 14% and 1.6% versus 1.1%, respectively.

Conclusion: The prevalence of hypercholesterolaemia and other coronary heart disease risk factors are low in both urban and rural donors in northwest Ethiopia.