Objective: To compare the lipid profiles and coronary heart disease risks of 2 Brazilian Amazonian populations as follows: a riverside population (village of Vigia) and an urban population (city of Bel m in the state of Par ).
Methods: Fifty individuals controlled for age and sex were assessed in each region, and the major risk factors for coronary heart disease were analyzed.
Results: According to the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP III) and using the Framingham score, both populations had the same absolute risk of events (Vigia = 5.4 +/- 1 vs Bel m = 5.7 +/- 1), although the population of Vigia had a lower consumption of saturated fat (P<0.0001), a greater consumption of mono- and polyunsaturated fat (P<0.03), in addition to lower values for body mass index (25.4 +/- 0.6 vs 27.6 +/- 0.7 kg/m , P<0.02), of biceps skin fold (18.6 1.1 vs 27.5 +/- 1.3 mm, P<0.0001), of triceps skin fold (28.7 +/- 1.2 vs 37.3 +/- 1.7 mm, P<0.002), and of total cholesterol (205 +/- 5 vs 223 +/- 6 mg/dL, P< 0.03) and triglycerides (119 +/- 9 vs 177 +/- 18 mg/dL, P<0.005). Both populations did not differ in regard to HDL-C (46 +/- 1 vs 46 +/- 1 mg/dL), LDL-C (135 +/- 4 vs 144 +/- 5 mg/dL) and blood pressure (SBP 124 +/- 3 vs 128 +/- 3 mmHg; DBP 80 +/- 2 vs 82 +/- 2 mmHg).
Conclusion: The riverside and urban populations of Amazonia had similar cardiovascular risks. However, the marked difference in the variables studied suggests that different strategies of prevention should be applied.