Serum lipoprotein concentrations in relation to ethnic composition and urbanization in men and women of Trinidad, West Indies.

A total population survey of serum lipoprotein concentrations was undertaken in an urban community in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, and the results compared with rural survey on the same island and a study of healthy adults in Bristol, England. Lipoproteins were separated with identical techniques and lipid determinations made in a common laboratory. In Trinidad, response rates for men and women were 93 and 88% respectively in the urban survey, and 89% in the smaller rural study. Mean concentration of HDL cholesterol was significantly lower and LDL cholesterol significantly higher in urban men than rural men. No urban-rural differences were found in women. In urban men under 55 years, HDL and LDL cholesterol concentrations were similar in Port-of-Spain and Bristol while VLDL triglyceride was relatively high in Trinidad. Distinct ethnic differences in lipoprotein concentrations were found in Trinidad. Indian men and women tended to have a low HDL cholesterol relative to other ethnic groups, while African men and women were characterized by relatively low concentrations of LDL cholesterol and VLDL triglyceride. The reduction in HDL cholesterol of Indian men appeared to be due mainly to a relatively low HDL3 concentration. The results are consistent with reported regional, sex and ethnic differences in CHD incidence in Trinidad, and accord with statistics which show cardiovascular disease to have emerged as the major cause of death in this community.