Prevalentie en behandeling van hypercholesterolemie bij patiënten met manifest vaatlijden volgens de maatstaven van de huidige cholesterolconsensus

To determine the prevalence of hypercholesterolaemia and the use of lipid-lowering medication in patients with a manifest vascular disease.

Design

Prospective, cross-sectional.

Methods

In patients who visited the University Medical Centre Utrecht, the Netherlands, for the first time with a manifestation of atherosclerosis in the periode 1 September 1996-15 November 1998, we determined by a single measurement of the cholesterol if they were eligible for lipid-lowering medication according to the cholesterol cut-off value mentioned in the new Dutch cholesterol quidelines (1998) of the Dutch Institute for Health Care Improvement.

Results

The study group comprised 737 patients: 539 (73) males and 198 (27) females, with a mean age of 62 year. 500 (68) were eligible for lipid-lowering treatment. 66 patients (9) were being treated according to the guidelines and in 106 (14) the aim of a cholesterol lower than 5.0 mmol/l was not reached despite cholesterol lowering medication. In 328 patients (45) hyperlipidaemia was not treated pharmacologically.

Conclusion

Two-thirds of the patients with manifest vascular disease had hypercholesterolaemia. Many of these patients were not yet being treated.