Abstract P107: Differences In Hypercholesterolemia Prevalence Between African Americans And Whites: A Cross-sectional Study Using 2017-2018 National Health And Nutrition Examination Surveys Data

Abstract

Importance: African Americans (AA) have a 20% higher risk of CVD death than Whites. Treating hypercholesterolemia (HC) is paramount in CVD primary prevention. Some evidence showed that AA have a lower risk of HC compared to whites. Methods: A cross-sectional study using the 2017-18 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys data. Logistic regression analysis was used to compare the prevalence of diagnosed HC in AA and whites aged 18-80 years old. Serum total cholesterol (TC) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels were compared by multiple linear regression. Results: Among 2549 participants, 51.7% were females, and 63.4% were white. The mean (SD) age was 51.6 (19.1) years. AA had a 24 % reduced risk of HC diagnosis than whites after adjusting for age, Body Mass Index (BMI), diabetes, hypertension, and smoking; OR [95%CI]= 0.767 [0.621, 0.923]. There was no difference in TC level (p=0.7242), while HDL was higher among AA (p<0.0001, β=3.83), adjusting for age, gender, BMI, smoking, diabetes, education level, and use of cholesterol medications. Conclusion: Consistent with some evidence, AA had a lower prevalence of HC diagnosis and higher HDL levels.