Dislipidemia in Elderly in Padang City

Cardiovascular disease has become the first cause of death. Highest morbidity is found in the elderly. Many studies on the relationship between dyslipidemia and cardiovascular disease has been done, however studies on prevalences of dyslipidemia among the elderly in Indonesia are lacking. Therefore, there is an urgent need to obtain information on dyslipidemia in the Indonesian elderly, which will allow the policy makers to provide appropriate intervention programs against cardiovascular diseases. The primary purpose of this study was to the observe prevalence of dyslipidemia among the aged in Padang, an area with high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases. A cross sectional study was undertaken in Padang with a total sample of 205 elderly using multistage random sampling. Subjects were recruited from free living elderly population. Data were collected through interviews using structured questionaires, anthropometric measurements, biochemical blood analysis, and blood pressure measurements. Data were analyzed by using SPSS programs for Windows version 7.5. Prevalence of dyslipidemia (hypercholesterolemia and LDL-cholesterolemia) found in the study was quite high, more than 50% of the study population. The ratio of total cholesterol to HDL cholesterol (≥ 5) was also quite high in the study population (47.6%). Nutrition education to elderly group should emphasize healthy nutrients with protecting effect against dyslipidemia. Suggestion for proper physical activity as a protecting factor against hypertension is very important for the elderly. Regular checking of plasma lipid should be conducted for early detection of cardiovascular disease risk factors. Future studies should be directed on public health and nutrition intervention to the elderly community.&nbsp