Objective: It is stated that high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels are low in Turkish people and that this may be related to genetic factors. Low HDL-C is a parameter of the metabolic syndrome (MetS). In this study, the relationship between low HDL-C levels and MetS has been investigated.
Methods and results: A total of 720 successive patients, 20 years or older, were categorized into two groups, as those with low-HDL-C (in men < 40 mg/dl, in women < 50 mg/dl) and those without low-HDL-C levels (in men > or = 40 mg/dl, in women > or = 50 mg/dl). The groups were compared according to the frequency of the MetS and the averages of the MetS criteria other than HDL-C. Moreover, two groups were formed with normal (< 150 mg/dl) and high (> or = 150 mg/dl) triglyceride levels and they have been compared with the average HDL-C levels. The frequency of MetS was 70.8% in the group with low-HDL-C and 24.2% in the group without low HDL-C levels (p < 0.001). The averages of the MetS criteria other than the HDL-C were 2.17 +/- 1.19 in the group with low-HDL-C levels and 1.59 +/- 1.15 in the group without low-HDL-C levels (p < 0.001). Average HDL-C level was 48.90 +/- 13.40 mg/dl in the group with normal triglyceride levels and 44.41 +/- 10.26 mg/dl in the group with high triglyceride levels (p < 0.001).
Conclusions: This study shows that low HDL-C is related to the MetS in our patients, a selected group of a population reported to have a low HDL-C average.