Early changes of blood lipids in students : a longitudinal study

Abstract

Abstract Aim: To clarify the prevalence of dyslipidemia and trends in changes in lipid profile in young college students. Methods: This was a retrospective, longitudinal study. A sample of 937 students from Xinjiang Medical University was included. All baseline data and blood lipid tests obtained from 2018 and 2021 physical exams were evaluated. The trends are computed using linear regression. Results: Compared with 2018, the incidence of dyslipidemia increased significantly in 2021, and the mean values of body mass index (BMI), systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), triglycerides (TG), total cholesterol (TC) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) increased, while the mean values of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) decreased significantly. In the sub-analysis of sex, ethnicity, and BMI groups, we found that the values of the cardiovascular risk components were higher in males than in females, and that the increase in the prevalence of dyslipidemia over three years was more specific in males than in females. Differences in blood lipid composition across ethnic groups were more pronounced in 2021, with significant increases in the prevalence of low LDL-C and dyslipidemia within the Han, Uygur and Kazak ethnic groups, as well as among lean, normal, overweight and obese groups based on BMI nutritional status. The rate of dyslipidemia increases with BMI. The incidence of high TG, high LDL-C and low HDL-C was significantly higher in the obese group than in the other groups. The results of linear regression revealed that, in total students (R2 =0.315), Sex (β=-1.125, P<0.001), SBP (β=0.034, P=0.002), DBP (β=0.058, P<0.001), TG (β=1.047, P<0.001), HDL (β=-2.474, P<0.001) were the independent risk factors of BMI. Conclusions: This study demonstrates an increasing trend of dyslipidemia in young adults, which enriches the limited data on early changes in lipid profiles and gives insight into the distress of dyslipidemia in young adults.