Comparative characteristics of dyslipoproteinemias in different geographic zones of the USSR

Total cholesterol, triglycerides, high and low density lipoprotein cholesterol were measured in 40- to 59-year-old males from Moscow, Tallinn, a mountain village in the Caucasus and settlements in the Chukotka. Mean values, and 10th and 90th percentiles were determined for each of the populations examined. The Moscow and Tallinn populations were found to be similar biochemically and differ from rural populations. Dyslipoproteinemias were more atherogenic in urban residents, as compared to their rural counterparts. It is suggested that dyslipoproteinemias have geographic and ethnic determinants that may contribute to the degree of atherogeny implicit in any type of lipid metabolic disorders.