Author(s)

Patrice Hodonou Avogbe^*, Ambaliou Sanni

Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Cellular Biology, University of Abomey-Calavi, Cotonou, Republic of Benin.

Non-traditional cardiovascular risk factors such as iron and potassium may play a role in lipid metabolism. However, information on this association is lacking in populations of Benin. This study evaluated the associations between plasma iron and potassium levels and risk of dyslipidemia among taxi-motorbike drivers (TMDs) in Cotonou. We conducted a cross-sectional study on 134 males TMDs aged ≥20 years old, of whom 39 (29.1%) had dyslipidemia. Plasma biochemistry including measurements of total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), iron, and potassium were performed. Dyslipidemia was defined as any or combinations of the following: TC > 5.2 mmol/L, LDL-C > 3.4 mmol/L, TG > 1.7 mmol/L, and HDL-C < 0.9 mmol/L. Participants were segregated into tertiles based on plasma iron and potassium levels. The associations of plasma iron and potassium levels with dyslipidemia were evaluated through multivariate logistic regression to calculate the odd ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Logistic regression showed that plasma iron level was independently and positively correlated with the risk of dyslipidemia, in a dose-dependent manner. The OR for developing dyslipidemia comparing the 3^rd tertile (>18.8 μmol/L) to the 1^st tertile of plasma iron (<13.6 μmol/L) was 3.85, (95% CI: 1.20 - 12.35, p = 0.023). We observed similar patterns of association in a subgroup analysis restricted to normotensive patients, although the estimates lacked statistical significance. Our findings also revealed that the risk of dyslipidemia decreased when plasma potassium levels increased. The OR (95% CI) for dyslipidemia comparing the 2^nd tertile (4.4 - 4.8 μmol/L) to the 1^st tertile (<4.3 μmol/L) of potassium was 0.31 (0.11 - 0.86, p = 0.025). Interestingly, the risk of dyslipidemia decreased progressively (81% to 86%) and significantly across plasma potassium tertiles when restricting analysis to normotensive patients. The ORs (95% CI) for dyslipidemia comparing the 2^nd and 3^rd tertiles to the 1^st tertile of plasma potassium were 0.19 (0.04 - 0.87, p = 0.032) and 0.14 (0.02 - 0.93, p = 0.043). In conclusion, our study shows that higher plasma iron and low potassium levels are significant predictors of dyslipidemia in TMDs. As such, the findings have public health implications for predicting and preventing dyslipidemia and associated cardiometabolic diseases. However, longitudinal studies are needed to determine if disturbances in iron and potassium levels, even within the normal range, are precursors or consequences of dyslipidemia.

Cotonou, Dyslipidemia, Iron, Potassium, Taxi-Motorbike Drivers

Avogbe, P. and Sanni, A. (2022) Low Plasma Potassium and High Iron Levels Increased the Risk of Dyslipidemia among Non-Diabetic Taxi-Motorbike Drivers Living and Working in Cotonou, Benin. Open Journal of Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases, 12, 159-175. doi: 10.4236/ojemd.2022.127012.