Prevalence of Dyslipidemia and Associated Factors in a Rural Population in North Kerala

Background An imbalance in blood lipids called dyslipidaemia leads to arterial inflammation and plaque development. Changes in lipid levels can be brought on by a number of conditions, including obesity, liver and chronic renal disease, smoking, steroids, alcoholism, diabetes mellitus, and alcohol misuse. Obesity can cause persistent hyperlipidaemia, and high cholesterol raises the risk of coronary heart disease. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2023 to June 2024 in Puzhakkattiri panchayat with a sample size of 599 selected using purposive sampling. Data was entered in MS Office and was analysed using SPSS software. Factors affecting the outcome variables was assessed using chi-square test and Fisher Exact test. Correlation between the continuous variables was calculated using Pearson correlation. Results: Prevalence of dyslipidaemia was found to be 60.1 %. Age group is found to be statistically significant with altered total cholesterol, triglycerides and HDL levels. In this study, the level of total cholesterol and triglyceride level was higher among females comparing to men. Higher blood lipid levels are seen in patients having higher BMI or overweight and high waist to hip ratio. Triglycerides and HDL levels were found to be significantly associated with Hypertension and diabetic status of the patient. Conclusion: The study reveals that hypercholesterolemia is prevalent in rural Kerala, with age group, gender, obesity, hypertension, diabetes significantly affecting total cholesterol, triglycerides, and HDL levels. Reducing modifiable risk factors and promoting diet and physical exercise can help control diabetes and hypertension.