Dyslipidemia Prevalence in Iranian Adult Men: The Impact of Population-Based Screening on the Detection of Undiagnosed Patients

Association between lipid profiles and cigarette smoke among adults in the Persian cohort (Shahedieh) study

OBJECTIVES

Exposure to cigarette smoke introduces a large amount of nicotine into the bloodstream through the lungs. So, smoking can be a risk factor for many diseases. The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of active and passive cigarette smoke on the blood lipid profile and dyslipidemia.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was performed on 5052 individuals who participated in the recruitment phase of the Shahedieh cohort study. A logistic regression model was used to investigate the relationship between smoking exposure status and lipid profiles.

RESULTS

The prevalence of abnormal low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), abnormal HDL-C, abnormal total cholesterol (TC), abnormal triglyceride (TG), and dyslipidemia were 254 (5.00%), 562 (11.10%), 470 (9.30%), 1008 (20.00%), and 1527 (30.20%), respectively. Adjusting for confounders, it was observed that current smokers had higher odds of having abnormal HDL-C [OR (95% CI), 2.90 (2.28-3.69)], abnormal TG [OR (95% CI), 1.71 (1.38-2.13)] and dyslipidemia [OR (95% CI), 1.86 (1.53-2.25)]. Ex-smokers also had greater odds of abnormal HDL-C [OR (95% CI), 1.51 (1.06-2.16)] compared to non-smokers who were not exposed to cigarette smoke.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings indicated that current smokers had higher TG and lower HDL. So, necessary measures should be taken to reduce smoking. The findings also showed that the prevalence of abnormal TG and HDL in ex-smokers was lower than in current smokers. Therefore, the existence of incentive policies to quit smoking seems necessary.

Prevalence of dyslipidemias in the Middle East region: A systematic review & meta-analysis study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Dyslipidemia is a known main risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, and it can be controlled to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular diseases. This meta-analysis aimed to estimate the prevalence of dyslipidemias in the Middle East.

METHODS

The relevant published articles between 2000 and 2021 that investigated the prevalence of dyslipidaemias in the Middle East were found through international data sources such as Medline, PubMed, and Google Scholar. The random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence with 95% confidence intervals.

RESULTS

The pooled prevalence of dyslipidemias, hypertriglyceridemia, hypercholesterolemia, high levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the Middle East were 54.08% (95% CI: 43.83-66.71), 32.51% (95% CI: 28.59-36.43), 29.44% (95% CI: 18.74-40.13), 32.09% (95% CI: 22.17-42.01), 44.71% (95% CI: 37.86-51.57), respectively. During the last two decades, an increasing trend in the prevalence of dyslipidemias was observed overall and in both sexes. Also, the age groups over 30 significantly had the highest prevalence of hypercholesterolemia, high levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

The increasing trend in the prevalence of dyslipidemias during the last two decades is an alarming and significant concern in the Middle East. Therefore, special measures are needed to deal with dyslipidemias as a health priority in the Middle East.

Prevalence of plasma lipid abnormalities and associated risk factors among Iranian adults based on the findings from STEPs survey 2021

The study aimed to estimate the prevalence of lipid abnormalities in Iranian adults by demographic characterization, geographical distribution, and associated risk factors using national and sub-national representative samples of the STEPs 2021 survey in Iran. In this population-based household survey, a total of 18,119 individuals aged over 25 years provided blood samples for biochemical analysis. Dyslipidemia was defined by the presence of at least one of the lipid abnormalities of hypertriglyceridemia (≥ 150 mg/dL), hypercholesterolemia (≥ 200 mg/dL), high LDL-C (≥ 130 mg/dL), and low HDL-C (< 50 mg/dL in women, < 40 mg/dL in men), or self-reported use of lipid-lowering medications. Mixed dyslipidemia was characterized as the coexistence of high LDL-C with at least one of the hypertriglyceridemia and low HDL-C. The prevalence of each lipid abnormality was determined by each population strata, and the determinants of abnormal lipid levels were identified using a multiple logistic regression model. The prevalence was 39.7% for hypertriglyceridemia, 21.2% for hypercholesterolemia, 16.4% for high LDL-C, 68.4% for low HDL-C, and 81.0% for dyslipidemia. Hypercholesterolemia and low HDL-C were more prevalent in women, and hypertriglyceridemia was more prevalent in men. The prevalence of dyslipidemia was higher in women (OR = 1.8), obese (OR = 2.8) and overweight (OR = 2.3) persons, those residents in urban areas (OR = 1.1), those with inappropriate physical activity (OR = 1.2), patients with diabetes (OR = 2.7) and hypertension (OR = 1.9), and participants with a history (OR = 1.6) or familial history of CVDs (OR = 1.2). Mixed dyslipidemia prevalence was 13.6% in women and 11.4% in men (P < 0.05). The prevalence of lipid abnormalities was highly heterogeneous among provinces, and East Azarbaijan with 85.3% (81.5-89.1) and Golestan with 68.5% (64.8-72.2) had the highest and lowest prevalence of dyslipidemia, respectively. Although the prevalence of high cholesterol and LDL-C had a descending trend in the 2016-2021 period, the prevalence of dyslipidemia remained unchanged. There are modifiable risk factors associated with dyslipidemia that can be targeted by the primary healthcare system. To modify these risk factors and promote metabolic health in the country, action plans should come to action through a multi-sectoral and collaborative approach.

Gender Differences in Risk Factors for Dyslipidemia in the Khmer Ethnic People, Vietnam

Background

The majority of the Khmer ethnic people living in the Mekong Delta had a difficult socioeconomic life and limited access to information and health services. The study was conducted to determine the prevalence of dyslipidemia and risk factors in men and women of the Khmer ethnic people, in Vietnam.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1.800 Khmer people aged 25 - 64 yr living in Tra Vinh Province in the Mekong Delta region of Vietnam. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression.

Results

The prevalence of dyslipidemia was high in men (47.3%) and in women (51.4%). Men had a higher prevalence of high TG (28.9% vs. 23.9%), whereas the prevalence of high TC (34.1% vs. 42.4%), and high LDL-C (28.2% vs. 37.9%) were lower in women, (all P<0.05). In men, dyslipidemia was significantly associated with central obesity (OR=2.58, 95% CI=1.32-5.06), overweight/obesity (OR=2.50, 95% CI=1.75-3.56), and diabetes (OR=2.15, 95% CI=1.22-3.78). In women, dyslipidemia was significantly associated with diabetes (OR=2.14, 95% CI=1.08-4.24), central obesity (OR=1.69, 95% CI=1.18-2.42), overweight/obesity (OR=1.50, 95% CI=1.06-2.10), and hypertension (OR=1.43, 95% CI=1.03-1.99). Age was significantly associated with increased risk of dyslipidemia in both genders.

Conclusion

Overall, the prevalence of dyslipidemia among Khmer men and women adults aged 25 - 64 years in Vietnam was high. Our findings indicated an urgent need to have dyslipidemia prevention intervention programs for the Khmer ethnic people in the Mekong Delta, especially training about obesity and increasing healthy lifestyles.

Factors associated with dyslipidemia and its prevalence among Awash wine factory employees, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND

Dyslipidemia is a highly prevalent and modifiable risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases. Though the problem is significant in Ethiopia, available data in this regard is very poor among alcoholic beverage industrial workers. This study aimed to assess factors associated with dyslipidemia and its prevalence among Awash wine factory employees in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 335 randomly selected employees of Awash wine factory, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from January to February 2021. Data was collected by a face-to-face interview technique using the WHO STEPwise approach. Data were entered and analyzed using Epi Info 7 and SPSS version 26, respectively. Both bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with dyslipidemia. All statistical tests were declared significant at p-value < 0.05.

RESULTS

The overall prevalence of dyslipidemia was 67.8% (95% CI 62.5-72.7%). Elevated total cholesterol, elevated triglycerides, reduced high-density lipoprotein, and elevated low-density lipoprotein was found in 25.4%, 33.4%, 50.7%, and 21.5% of participants, respectively. Dyslipidemia was significantly associated with age group 30-39 years (AOR = 2.51; 95% CI 1.16-5.44, p = 0.019), ≥ 40 years (AOR = 6.45; 95% CI 2.01-20.71, p = 0.002), current alcohol consumption (AOR = 3.37; 95% CI 1.70-6.66, p < 0.001), eating vegetables < 2 days per week (AOR = 2.89; 95% CI 1.54-5.43, p = 0.001), sitting duration of > 4 h per day (AOR = 1.96; 95% CI 1.03-3.74, p = 0.041), and raised waist circumference (AOR = 4.56; 95% CI 2.07-10.08, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

High prevalence of dyslipidemia was found among Awash wine factory employees in Addis Ababa. Periodic screening of high-risk groups along with effective health promotion and education which encourages a healthy lifestyle is essential.

Computed Tomography-Derived Skeletal Muscle Radiodensity Predicts Peak Weight-Corrected Jump Power in Older Adults: The Korean Urban Rural Elderly (KURE) Study

Computed tomography (CT)-derived skeletal muscle area (SMA) and skeletal muscle radiodensity (SMD) reflect distinctive quantitative and qualitative characteristics of skeletal muscles. However, data on whether CT-based muscle parameters, especially SMD, can predict muscle function is limited. In a prospective cohort, 1523 community-dwelling older adults who underwent abdominal CT scans and the countermovement two-legged jumping test on a ground reaction force platform were analyzed (mean age 74.7 years, 65.1% women). SMA and SMD were measured at third lumbar vertebra level (L3). Individuals with low jump power (peak weight-corrected jump power < 23.8 W/kg in men and < 19.0 W/kg in women using clinically validated threshold) were older; had lower SMA, SMD, and maximal grip strength values; and had lower chair rise test and timed up and go test performance than those without low jump power. SMD was positively associated with peak weight-corrected jump power (adjusted β = 0.33 and 0.23 per 1 HU increase in men and women, respectively, p < 0.001). One HU decrement in SMD was associated with 10% elevated odds of low jump power (adjusted OR [aOR] 1.10, p < 0.001) after adjusting for age, sex, height, inflammation, and insulin resistance markers, whereas the association of SMA with low jump power was attenuated (aOR 1.00, p = 0.721). SMD showed better discrimination for low jump power than SMA (AUC 0.699 vs. 0.617, p < 0.001), with additional improvement when added to SMA and conventional risk factors (AUC 0.745 to 0.773, p < 0.001). Therefore, CT-measured L3 SMD can be a sensitive surrogate marker for muscle function along with SMA in older adults, which merits further investigation.

Dyslipidemia Management in 2020: An Update on Diagnosis and Therapeutic Perspectives

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in the modern world and dyslipidemia is one of the major risk factors. The current therapeutic strategies for cardiovascular diseases involve the management of risk factors, especially dyslipidemia and hypertension. Recently, the updated guidelines of dyslipidemia management were presented, and the newest data were included in terms of diagnosis, imaging, and treatment. In this targeted literature review, the researchers presented the most recent evidence on dyslipidemia management by including the current therapeutic goals for it. In addition, the novel diagnostic tools based on theranostics are shown. Finally, the future perspectives on treatment based on novel drug delivery systems and their potential to be used in clinical trials were also analyzed. It should be noted that dyslipidemia management can be achieved by the strict lifestyle change, i.e., by adopting a healthy life, and choosing the most suitable medication. This review can help medical professionals as well as specialists of other sciences to update their knowledge on dyslipidemia management, which can lead to better therapeutic outcomes and newer drug developments.

Non-communicable diseases' risk factors in Iran; a review of the present status and action plans

Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) are the leading causes of death globally, imposing a heavy burden on the healthcare systems, especially in low- and middle-income countries. Iran is a country in the Middle-East region with an aging population and changing disease risk factors, and now is facing NCDs as the major health problem of the country. Investigating NCDs' risk factors and tackling preventable ones is the main intervention to control their heavy burden. In this review, we discussed the most critical risk factors in Iran and the implemented programs and action plans to control them. A better knowledge on current status of risk factors and plans to tackle them, could help policymakers effectively rule policies and allocate resources to curb heavy burden of NCDs in Iran.

NDSP 05: Prevalence and pattern of dyslipidemia in urban and rural areas of Pakistan; a sub analysis from second National Diabetes Survey of Pakistan (NDSP) 2016-2017

Objectives

Dyslipidemia is a major risk issue for the development of cardiovascular disease. The aim of our study was to observe the pattern and prevalence of dyslipidemia in Pakistani population.

Methodology

This is a sub analysis of a population based second National Diabetes Survey of Pakistan (NDSP) 2016-2017 in adults aged 20 years or above, carried out from February 2016 to August 2017 across Pakistan. Multi stage sampling technique was used for the stratification of population, based on rural and urban domains. District wise clusters and sub clusters were selected i.e. 27 and 46 in number. Subjects, consented to participate were requested to come after an overnight fast for anthropometric measurements, oral glucose tolerance test and fasting lipid profile (except for subjects with self-reported diabetes). Dyslipidemia was identified using Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines.

Results

A total of 10,834 subjects (43.8% male and 56.2% female) having mean age of 43.8 ± 14.0 years, participated in the survey. Of the subjects studied, 39.3% had hypercholesterolemia, 48.9% had hypertriglyceridemia, 39.7% had high LDL-C levels while 83.9% men and 90% women had low HDL levels. High cholesterol and triglyceride levels were highest in 50-59 years age group, while high LDL and low HDL was most common in 40-49 years age group. Diabetes, obesity and hypertension were found to be the significant determinants for dyslipidemia.

Conclusion

Prevalence of dyslipidemia seems to be very high in Pakistan, necessitating an urgent call for early screening and effective management through lifestyle intervention and appropriate lipid lowering drugs to prevent this important cardiovascular risk factor.

Comorbidity of metabolic syndrome components in a population-based screening program: A latent class analysis

Background: The prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) is rapidly increasing in the world. Thus, the aim of the present study was to identify the latent subgroups of Iranian male adults based on MS components and investigate the effect of abnormal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), high total cholesterol (TC), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) on the odds of membership in each class. Methods: In the present study, we used the data of a population-based screening program conducted on 823 urban adult men aged 25 years and older in city of Qom in 2014. Abdominal obesity, fasting blood sugar (FBS), blood pressure, and serum lipid profile were measured in participants after for at least 8 hours. MS was defined according to the Adults Treatment Panel III criteria. Latent class analysis was used to achieve the aims of study. Analyses were conducted using PROC LCA in SAS 9.2 software. In all analysis, p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: There were 3 different latent classes among participants. Latent class 1, non-MS, 55.1%; latent lass 2, at risk, 21.3%; and finally latent class 3, MS, with 23.6% of the participants. Age (OR=0.98, 95% CI: 0.98-0.99, high LDL (OR=0.27, 95% CI: 0.13-0.56), high TC (OR=8.12, 95% CI: 4.40-15.00), and abnormal ALT (OR=2.25, 95% CI 1.49-3.41) were associated with at risk class. Also, only age (OR=1.02, 95% CI: 1.01-1.04) was associated with MS class. The most prevalent components among the participants were having low HDL (34.0%) and high WC (33.9%). Conclusion: Notable percent of samples fell in "at risk" and "MS" classes, which stress the necessity of designing preventive interventions for these specific stratums of population.

Prevalence of Dyslipidemia in Undiagnosed Palestinian Men: A Cross-Sectional Study

Introduction

Dyslipidemia is the most important modifiable risk factor that leads to cardiovascular diseases. The screening for dyslipidemia in Palestine is not established in primary health care centers for healthy people. Our study aims to determine the prevalence of dyslipidemia among healthy undiagnosed adult men in Palestine in order to assess the need for screening and preventive programs for dyslipidemia.

Materials and Methods

A cross-sectional observational study was carried out in 10 secondary schools at Nablus municipality (Palestine) from August 2017 to February 2018. The study included 140 teachers based on sample calculations. The age of participants ranged between 24 and 60 years. A questionnaire was used to collect demographic data about the lifestyle, past medical, and family histories. Serum lipid profile, and fasting blood glucose levels for each participant were measured. Lipoprotein levels were categorized based on the adult treatment panel III criteria.

Results

The overall prevalence of dyslipidemia among Palestinian men was 66.4%. The most prevalent type of dyslipidemia was hypo HDL (X < 40 mg/dl, 59.3%), followed by hypertriglyceridemia (X ≥ 200 mg/dl, 20%). The prevalence of hyper LDL (X ≥ 160 mg/dl), hypercholesterolemia (X ≥ 240 mg/dl) was 8.5%, and 3.6%, respectively. About 15% of participants had glucose intolerance, and 4.3% had hyperglycemia (undiagnosed). Those with glucose intolerance, 13 (9.2%) have hypo HDL, while 9 (6.42%) have hypertriglyceridemia. On the other hand, out of hyperglycemic patients: 5 (3.5%) had hypo HDL, and 1 (0.7%) had hypertriglyceridemia.

Conclusion

Around two-thirds of undiagnosed participants had at least one lipid abnormality. None of them were aware of having dyslipidemia. The prevalence of undiagnosed dyslipidemia was higher than the prevalence of undiagnosed glucose intolerance, and diabetes. This suggests that dyslipidemia plays a major role in developing diabetes. Hence, profound efforts should be done to manage and treat those with dyslipidemia, in order to prevent progression to type II diabetes mellitus.

Medicinal plants’ use among patients with dyslipidemia: an Iranian cross-sectional survey

Background

Despite growing demand for medicinal plants, there is little data about their use by patients with dyslipidemia. We aimed to determine the prevalence, pattern, and associated factors for the use of medicinal plants among patients with dyslipidemia.

Methods

A 17-item semi-structured questionnaire was filled out by 195 patients with dyslipidemia in a cross-sectional study carried out in two academic endocrinology clinics in Shiraz, Iran. The questionnaire comprised of three main domains of demographic data (6 questions), clinical data (2 of them), and data related to the use of medicinal plants (totally 9 questions).

Results

A total of 77.4% of patients took medicinal plants. The most common medicinal herbs used by dyslipidemic patients were Zataria multiflora, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, and Zingiber officinale. Duration of dyslipidemia was significantly longer in herbal users than non-herbal users (p=0.04). Patients believing that concomitant use of conventional drugs and herbal preparations had synergic positive effects in addition to those persuaded that herbal preparations possessed less side effects, were significantly more likely to use medicinal plants (p=0.008 and 0.005, respectively). Additionally, most of the medicinal herb users (87.4%) changed neither the pattern nor the dosage of their medications all during herbal preparations use.

Conclusions

This study demonstrated a high prevalence of medicinal plants’ use among patients with dyslipidemia, which was associated with the duration of dyslipidemia, patients’ viewpoints about herbal preparations’ synergic positive effects, and their fewer side effects.

The Prevalence of Dyslipidemia among Jordanians

Background

Dyslipidemia is one of the major modifiable risk factors for the development of cardiovascular disease and type two diabetes mellitus. Knowing the current prevalence of dyslipidemia is an important step for increasing awareness of the problem and for proper planning of health programs for prevention of its negative clinical effects.

Methods

A national population based household sample was selected from north, middle, and south regions of Jordan in 2017. A total sample of 4,056 aged between 18 and 90 years were included. Selected individuals were interviewed using a structured questionnaire and fasting blood samples were collected for biochemical measurements.

Results

The prevalence rates of hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia, high LDL, and low HDL were 44.3%, 41.9% 75.9%, and 59.5%, respectively. Hypercholesterolemia in Jordan almost doubled from 23.0% in 1994 to 44.3% in 2017, and hypertriglyceridemia increased from 23.8% in 1994 to 41.9% in 2017. All lipid abnormalities decreased after the age of 60 years. Hypertension, diabetes, and obesity were all independently associated with hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia.

Conclusions

Results of this study show that dyslipidemia is a widely prevalent health problem among adult Jordanian population and that the problem has substantially increased since 1994. Encouraging healthy lifestyle and healthy diet are the basis for prevention of dyslipidemia.

Ferns G, Esmaeili H, Parizadeh MR, Mokhber N, Mahdizadeh A, Mahmoudi AA, Sahebkar AH, Ghayour‐Mobarhan M. Prevalence of combined and noncombined dyslipidemia in an Iranian population

BACKGROUND

Combination of dyslipidemic phenotypes, including elevated plasma levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), elevated plasma triglycerides (TG), and decreased low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations, is important because of the association of individual phenotypes with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). We investigated the prevalence of combined dyslipidemias and their effects on CVD risk in an Iranian large population.

METHOD

A total of 9847 individuals were recruited as part of the Mashhad Stroke and Heart Atherosclerotic Disorders (MASHAD) cohort study. Anthropometric parameters and biochemical indices were measured in all of the subjects. Different types of combined dyslipidemias including high TG + low HDL-C, high TG + low HDL-C + high LDL-C, low HDL-C + high LDL-C, high TG + high LDL-C, and finally high TG + high LDL-C + low HDL-C were considered. Ten-year CVD risk was calculated using the QRISK2 risk algorithm and adjustments were made as suggested by the Joint British Societies' (JBS2). Logistic regression analyses were performed to determine the association between different combined dyslipidemias and categorical QRISK.

RESULTS

A total of 3952 males and 5895 females were included in this current study. Among the included subjects, 83.4% had one form of dyslipidemia, and 16.6% subjects were not dyslipidemic. The mean age was 48.88 ± 7.9 and 47.02 ± 8.54 years for dyslipidemic and nondyslipidemic groups, respectively. The results showed that the frequency of dyslipidemia was 98%, 87.1%, and 90% in subjects with metabolic syndrome, CVD, and diabetes, respectively. Our results suggested that around 15.7% of study population were at 10 years CVD risk (high ≥20) and it was higher in men than women (P < .001). Moreover, risk of CVD was higher in TG↑ & HDL↓ & LDL↑ group than other groups.

CONCLUSION

Prevalence of dyslipidemia was 83.4% among Iranian adults. The results showed that individuals with increased plasma TG and LDL-C, and low HDL-C levels had the highest 10 years CVD risk compared to other combined dyslipidemic phenotypes.

Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome and Associations with Lipid Profiles in Iranian Men: A Population-Based Screening Program

Purpose

Metabolic syndrome (MS) is characterized by a collection of interdependent disorders, including abdominal obesity, dyslipidemia, hyperglycemia, hypertension, and diabetes. The current study aimed to estimate the prevalence of MS in Qom, Iran.

Materials and Methods

A population-based screening program was conducted in the city of Qom, in 845 urban adult men over 25 years old in 2014. Abdominal obesity, fasting blood glucose (FBG), blood pressure, and the serum lipid profile were measured in subjects after fasting for at least 8 hours. MS was defined according to the Adult Treatment Panel III criteria. Data were analyzed using the chi-square test, t-test, and multiple logistic regression.

Results

The overall prevalence of MS was 23.0%, and the most common prevalent metabolic abnormalities associated with MS were low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (<40 mg/dL) in 34.3% of subjects, a waist circumference >102 cm in 33.9%, blood pressure ≥130/85 mmHg in 27.6%, fasting triglycerides (TG) ≥150 mg/dL in 25%, and FBG ≥110 mg/dL in 20.6%. A FBG level ≥110 mg/dL (odds ratio [OR]=4.85; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.14~8.24), dyslipidemia (OR=3.51; 95% CI, 2.10~5.89), and a fasting TG ≥150 mg/dL were the most important factors contributing to MS.

Conclusions

The prevalence of MS in men in Qom was higher than has been reported in other countries, but it was lower than the mean values that have been reported elsewhere in Iran. FBG was the most important factor contributing to MS, and all elements of the lipid profile showed important associations with MS.

The relationship between serum total testosterone and free testosterone levels with serum hemoglobin and hematocrit levels: a study in 1221 men

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the relationship between serum total testosterone (TT) and free testosterone (FT) levels in men with anemia.

METHODS

We reviewed the records of 1221 subjects between March 2009 and December 2014. All the subjects' blood samples were drawn for TT and FT assays. Their serum hemoglobin (Hb) and serum hematocrit (Hct) levels were measured. The primary objective of our study was to investigate the association between TT and FT levels with Hb and Hct levels.

RESULTS

The mean age was 59.82 ± 12.71 years. The mean TT and FT levels were 4.54 ± 2.02 ng/mL and 10.63 ± 3.69 pg/mL, respectively. The mean Hb and Hct levels were 14.72 ± 1.34 g/dL and 43.11 ± 3.75%, respectively. Subjects with low TT (<2.35 ng/mL) had low Hb and Hct levels (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, respectively). TT was positively associated with FT, Hb, and Hct. TT and FT levels were significantly lower in older men.

CONCLUSIONS

Subjects with low TT and FT levels had low Hb and Hct levels. This suggests that TT and FT play a significant role in erythropoiesis. Testosterone replacement therapy may be effective in men with hypogonadism to reduce the incidence of anemia.