Dyslipidemia prevalence, awareness, treatment, control, and risk factors in Chinese rural population: the Henan rural cohort study

Background: The prevalence of dyslipidemia continue to increase in recent decades in China, however, little is known about the recent prevalence, awareness, treatment, control, and potential risk factors of dyslipidemia in the rural areas of China. Methods: A total of 39,207 participants aged 18-79 years were recruited for the epidemiological research from the Henan Rural Cohort study. The age-and sex-adjusted means (95% confidence intervals, CI) of serum lipid levels or percentages of prevalence, awareness, treatment, and control overall and in various population subgroups were estimated and compared by multiple linear regression or logistic regression. The multivariable logistic regression model was used to explore the associations between the socio-demographic factors and the prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of dyslipidemia. Results: The age-and sex-adjusted mean levels (95% CI) of total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) were 4.76(4.75-4.77), 1.68(1.67-1.69), 1. 33(1.32-1.33), and 2.87 (2.86-2.88) mmol/L, respectively. Overall, the age-standardized prevalence of dyslipidemia was 32.21% (42.85% in men vs. 26.16% in women) in Chinese rural adults, with 5.11, 16.00, 19.27, and 4.76% for high TC, high TG, low HDL-C and high LDL-C, respectively. The age-standardized awareness, treatment and control of dyslipidemia were 15.07, 7.23, and 3.25%, respectively, which were higher in women than men, and increased steeply with age (P-trend < 0.05). The proportion of prevalence, awareness, treatment, control of dyslipidemia differed significantly among various subpopulations while the awareness, treatment, and control rates were universally low in all subgroups (< 54, 36, and 15%, respectively). Increasing age, men, unhealthy lifestyles, positive family history of dyslipidemia, abnormal weight, type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension were independent risk factors of dyslipidemia. Conclusion: Dyslipidemia was common with unacceptably low awareness, treatment and control rates in rural China. Therefore, effective strategies are necessary for improving the status of the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, control of dyslipidemia in Chinese rural residents.