Increased serum iron associated with coronary heart disease among Nigerian adults

摘要

Objective: To examine the concentrations of serum iron and some risk factors of coronary heart disease in Nigerians with evidence of Coronary Heart Disease. Methodology: The concentration of serum iron, the plasma cholesterol level, the hip-waist ratio and body mass index of 70 patients with evidence of CHD seen at a Cardiology Unit of a Specialist Hospital in Ibadan and 70 healthy subjects selected randomly were determined. Subjects were grouped into four age categories and three socioeconomic classes (high, middle and low). Results: The age of the subjects ranged from 31-70 years with the mean of 53.6±11.0 years and 50.1±10.5 years for patients and controls respectively. The mean serum iron and plasma cholesterol levels were significantly higher among patients than controls irrespective of age and sex (p Conclusion: Significantly higher serum iron levels found in patients with evidence of CHD appears to support the hypothesis that there is a potential association between iron status and CHD.