Sex differences in risk factors for cardiovascular disease: the PERU MIGRANT study.

INTRODUCTION: Although men and women have similar risk factors for cardiovascular disease, many social behaviors in developing countries differ by sex. Rural-to-urban migrants have different cardiovascular risk profiles than rural or urban dwellers. The objective of this study was to evaluate the sex differences with specific cardiovascular risk factors in rural-to-urban migrants. METHODS AND RESULTS: We used the rural-to-urban migrant group of the PERU MIGRANT cross-sectional study to investigate the sex differences in specific cardiovascular risk factors: obesity, hypertension, metabolic syndrome, as well as exposures of socioeconomic status, acculturation surrogates and behavioral characteristics. Logistic regression analysis was used to characterize strength of association between sex and our outcomes adjusting for potential confounders. The sample of migrants was 589 (mean age 46.5 years) and 52.4% were female. In the adjusted models, women were more likely to be obese (OR=5.97; 95%CI: 3.21-11) and have metabolic syndrome (OR=2.22; 95%CI: 1.39-3.55) than men, explaining the greatest variability for obesity and metabolic syndrome but not for hypertension. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that interventions for CVD in Peru should be sex-specific and address the unique health needs of migrant populations living in urban shantytowns since the risk factors for obesity and metabolic syndrome differ between males and females

Impact of Seasonality on the Prevalence of Dyslipidemia: A Large Population Study

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Assessment of lipid profile parameters has been considered a cornerstone in classifying individuals and populations at risk for cardiovascular disease. Recently, however, preliminary data have raised the possibility of seasonal variations in these parameters, which may cause under- or overestimation. Biological rhythms and seasonal variation of lipid profile was investigated in 227 359 consecutive individuals who underwent health checkups in primary care centers between 2008 and 2010. Plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) >130 mg/dL was 8% more prevalent during winter than summer, with a larger difference among women and middle-aged adults (p150 mg/dL were respectively 9% and 5% more prevalent during the summer (p<0.001). Variation amplitude was 3.4 +/- 0.3 mg/dL for HDL-C (p = 0.005), 7 +/- 2 mg/dL for LDL-C (p = 0.047), and 12 +/- 9 mg/dL for TG (p = 0.058). Based on a large population sample, this study confirms the existence of biological rhythms and seasonal variation in lipid profile. This finding must be particularly accounted for in cross-sectional analyses of relative risk, prevalence, or the rate of goal achievement for lipid parameters.30810111015Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq