Lipemia in blood donors, association with risk factors

Rationale: There is an underestimation of the significance of lipemia as an indicator of health problem in individuals who come to donate blood. Objectives: To estimate the prevalence of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and to measure their association with the presence of lipemia in blood donors. Methods: Descriptive observational analytical case-control study (33 and 66 respectively) carried out in the Provincial Blood Bank of Cienfuegos, from March to October 2015. Cases were identified as positive in the predonation lipemia test and controls, with negative test. The following variables were considered: eligible and ineligible donors, lipemia, age, sex, smoking, diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, abdominal waist, body mass index, triglycerides, total cholesterol and its fractions. Results: Lipemia represented 30.6% of the causes of rejection in blood donors. The main risk factors found were increased HDL cholesterol, obesity, hypertriglyceridemia, smoking and arterial hypertension.Conclusions: Donors with lipemia have unfavorable cardiometabolic profile.