Relationship of Circulating High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol and Anemia

Circulating level of low HDLC (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol) represents a common critical risk factor for IHD (ischemic heart disease) and may further aggravate the condition in anemic subjects, as the presence of anemia itself is a threat to cardiovascular consequences. To investigate the relationship of circulating HDLC with anemia, first we determined the levels of total hemoglobin (Hb) in a total of 301 subjects (male, n = 158; female, n = 143) randomly, and then examined the circulating levels of HDLC in fasting condition. Age of the study subjects was 47.9 ± 16.6 (mean ± SD) years. Both the male and female subjects were divided into three groups according to their levels of Hb. The relationship of circulating levels of HDLC with the levels of total Hb was statistically analyzed. In case of the male subjects, we found that the levels of HDLC differed significantly among the three groups with different levels of Hb (P = 0.0233) and decrease in the levels of HDLC correlated significantly with the gradual decrease of total Hb level (r = 0.2504; P = 0.0015). In female subjects, we observed a similar trend of difference among the three groups (P = 0.0685). However, decrease in the levels of HDLC correlated significantly with the gradual decrease of Hb level (r = 0.2199; P = 0.0083). Altogether, this study demonstrates that decrease in the circulating HDLC is related to the gradual decrease of Hb level. This study also indicates that circulating level of HDLC may be influenced by the level of total Hb and reveals the cardiovascular risks in anemia as well.