[Lipid profile in a rural population in western Cameroon]

Cardiovascular disease is becoming more prevalent in Cameroon. To help understand the underlying situation, we determined the blood levels of various forms of cholesterol total cholesterol (TC), free cholesterol (FC), high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and serum lipid concentrations : total lipids (TL) triglycerides (TG), phospholipids (PL), in 176 volunteers chosen randomly in west Cameroon. The six variables measured were all in the normal range. There were no significant differences between the two sexes and other characteristics of the subjects. There were significant associations between: age and atherogenic ratio of cholesterol (ARC): age and TL (at p < 0.01); age and TC; TL and TC; ARC and TC and TL and TG (at p < 0.001). Analysis of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease indicated that 17.79% of the women and 11.36% of the men had two or more risk factors.