ATHEROSCLEROTIC CARDIOVASCULAR-DISEASE, L IPEMIC DISORDERS, HYPERTENSION, OBESITY AND DIABETES-MELLITUS IN THE POPULATION OF THE METROPOLITAN-AREA OF SOUTHEASTERN BRAZIL .2. LIPEMIC DISORDERS

This study has sought to characterize the prevalence of lipemic disord ers and other risk factors of atheroschlerotic cardiovascular disease in population groups of Cotia county in Greater S. Paulo, Brazil. The population groups were defined on the basis of socio-economic characte ristics and geographical location within the county such as provided e lements for the delimitation of the ''study areas''. A sample represen tative of each of these areas was taken, constituting in all 1,041 ind ividuals. The data related to eating habits were collected from a subs ample of 568 people. The lipemic disorders diagnosed were as follows: high risk hypercholesterolemias with values approximate to 240 mg/dl f or total cholesterol and approximate to 160mg/dl for LDL-cholesterol; borderline risk hypercholesterolemias with values > 200mg/dl and > 130 mg/dl for total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol respectively; hypertri glyceridemia, with values approximate to 250mg/dl. The following risk factors were included: atherogenic eating habits (consumption of prote ins of animal origin, saturated fats and cholesterol), smoking, drinki ng, sedentary life style, obesity (IMC >25kg/m(2)), hypertension (140/ 90mmHg) and diabetes mellitus (glycemia>120mg/dl). The results found w ere the following: I- the average number of risk factors was significa nt by greater among men than among women, for the age groups below 50 years of age (p<0.01); between 50 and 55 years of age they were equal for the two groups, reaching their greatest value at 60 years of age w ith a sharp reduction after this latter age as regard the men bur pres enting a constant gradual increase for the women; 2 - the average numb er of risk factors increased with age for both sexes (p<0.01); 3 - the prevalences of high risk hypercholesterolemias together with hypertri glyceridemia (>=250mg/dl) were significantly greater in the classes of higher socio-economic level; 4 - the lipemic profile associated with lipemic disorders show that these latter rarely occur with just one co nstituent in isolation; 5 - when the high-risk hypercolesterolemias ar e added to the borderline cases accompanied by two or more risk factor s and hypertriglyceridemia they give a total of 39.2% of men and 32.8% of women, that is to say, 35.4% of the sample need immediate clinical -educational intervention.