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.