The Association of Apolipoprotein B and Low Density Lipoprotein with Cardiovascular Risk Factors in the Thai Population
Rungroj Krittayaphong MD*, Chunhakasem Chotinaiwatarakul MD**, Charuwan Kangkagate MS***, Kiertijai Bhuripanyo MD****, Nithi Mahanonda MD****
Affiliation : * Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, ** Her Majesty’s Cardiac Center, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, *** Department of Research Promotion, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, **** Perfect Heart Institute, Piyavate Hospital
Background : Although direct and calculated low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-cholesterol) has been
widely used as an important predictor for cardiovascular risk, many studies have shown that apolipoprotein
B (apo B) may be a more important lipoprotein marker.
Materials and Methods : We performed a cross-sectional study on 191 volunteers who were Shinawatra employees
during their annual physical check up. The following cardiovascular risk factors were recorded or measured:
direct and calculated LDL, apo B, gender, age, total cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol (HDL), calcu-
lated LDL, fasting plasma glucose (FPG), systolic and diastolic blood pressure, smoking status, body mass
index (BMI), waist circumference, and waist-hip ratio (WHR). Apo B, direct LDL and calculated LDL levels
were tested for their associations with other potential cardiovascular risk factors.
Results : There were a total of 76 men and 115 women with an average age of 28.8 + 5.4 years. Male gender,
cigarette smoking, high cholesterol, high triglyceride, high fasting plasma glucose, hypertension, high WHR
and high BMI were associated with increased apo B level. Only male gender and high cholesterol were
associated with increased calculated and direct LDL level. The association of direct and calculated LDL-
cholesterol level with cardiovascular risk factors appears to be similar.
Conclusion : We demonstrated that apo B level correlates more with other cardiovascular risk factors com-
pared to direct and calculated LDL-cholesterol. The clinical relevance of this finding needs to be explored in
large-scale studies.
Keywords : Apolipoprotein B, Low density lipoprotein, Cardiovascular risk factors
