PREVALENCE OF HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA AND CORONARY HEART-DISEASE RISK-FACTORS AMONG SOUTHEAST-ASIAN REFUGEES IN A PRIMARY-CARE CLINIC

The National Cholesterol Education Program's guidelines for the detect ion, evaluation, and treatment of high serum cholesterol in adults wer e employed in screening 155 Southeast Asian refugees in a primary care clinic in Seattle, Washington. In order to determine the need for a t herapeutic intervention, information also was collected on the presenc e of other coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors. Male gender (39% ), cigarette smoking (27%) and hypertension (26%) were the most common CHD risk factors; diabetes mellitus, obesity, a family or prior histo ry of CHD or eerebral/peripheral vascular disease were each noted in l ess than 10%. The mean serum total cholesterol was 194 mg/dl. Thirty-s even (24%) patients required further lipoprotein analysis based on cho lesterol level, history of CHD and risk factors for CHD. Twenty-one (6 6%) of 32 patients who underwent lipoprotein analysis (14% of all pati ents) were candidates for a therapeutic intervention for hypercholeste rolaemia. Additionally, 14 (44%) patients undergoing lipoprotein analy sis had depressed high-density lipoprotein levels (<35 mg/dl). We conc lude that CHD risk factors including hypercholesterolaemia are common in Southeast Asian refugee clinic patients and that in many, a therape utic intervention may well be justified. Southeast Asian refugees shou ld be routinely screened for hypercholesterolaemia and other CHD risk factors in accordance with the National Cholesterol Education Program' s guidelines.