Hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia of Isabela, Galápagos, Ecuador: A pilot study of cardiovascular risk factors in an Isolated Island community

Aim To evaluate the prevalence of hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia in the population of Isabela, Galápagos, Ecuador, across gender and age (above or below 50). Methods In this population-based retrospective cross-sectional study among individuals in Isabela, Galápagos, Ecuador, demographic and metabolic factors were evaluated based on World Health Organization (WHO) Global Guidelines. Results The population overall exceeded the WHO guidelines for cardiovascular health. As to be expected, there was significance in the trend of increasing dyslipidemia and hyperglycemia with age except postprandial glucose. In those individuals below the age of 50, 8.0%, 49% and 26% had hyperglycemia, hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia, respectively. However, in those above 50, they measured 24%, 68% and 36% respectively, showing a significant increase. Conclusions Hyperglycemia and dyslipidemia appear to be prevalent in Isabela, Galápagos, Ecuador and this pilot study supports further research into metabolic syndrome and diabetes. Such data may help in healthcare planning and screening to ensure not only timely diagnosis, but prevention. The limitations of this data illustrate modalities that data collection can be improved, such as having a linked clinical history to the data itself and better patient follow up for such entities as post prandial glucose, for example. However, this pilot study presents a starting point for future directions of research, such as ascertaining prevalence of diabetes type II, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease.