Lipid profile in young people
Introduction
Metabolic risk factors for non-communicable chronic diseases develop from an early age, while the clinical manifestations of cardiovascular diseases associated with these risk factors appear later in life. Dyslipidemia is a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the lipid profile in young people as an early risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
Material and methods
The study was conducted on 693 healthy young individuals: 71.4% (495) women and 28.6% (198) men, aged between 17 and 30 years. The measured parameters included total cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and triglycerides, measured using the spectrophotometric method. Non-HDL cholesterol was calculated with the formula: non-HDL-C = TC – HDL-C (mmol/l).
Results
A total of 8.2% of young people had total cholesterol levels above the normal threshold (5.0 mmol/l). HDL-cholesterol below the gender-specific threshold values was recorded in 52.5%. Among women, 58.8% had HDL-cholesterol levels ≤ 1.29 mmol/l, and among men, 36.9% had levels below 1.03 mmol/l. Non-HDL cholesterol exceeded the threshold value (3.8 mmol/l) in 5.9% of young people. For 21.4% of participants, LDL-cholesterol was above the threshold (2.59 mmol/l), and 8.2% had triglyceride levels above the normal threshold (1.7 mmol/l).
Conclusions
The study demonstrated that over half of the young people (52.5%) had HDL-cholesterol below the gender-specific thresholds. Deviations in the lipid profile increase the atherogenic potential of plasma, highlighting the need for early preventive interventions in this age group.