title: Progress in blood lipid reporting practices by clinical laboratories in North America. Changes from 1985 to 1990.
abstract: In an attempt to assess the impact of the National Cholesterol Education Program recommendations and to provide follow-up to a 1985 survey of blood lipid reporting practices in 152 academic clinical laboratories in North America, the same laboratories were resurveyed regarding current blood lipid-reporting practices. All 97 laboratories that responded to our survey routinely measured serum total cholesterol, while 94% measured high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, 99% measured triglycerides, 26% apolipoproteins A1 and B, and a single laboratory measured apolipoprotein E. There was a marked downward shift in reference ranges for serum total cholesterol used by laboratories in 1990 compared with 1985. Of the laboratories responding to both surveys, 90% lowered their reported reference values. Changes in the sources of reference ranges were also noted. The percent of laboratories using reference ranges based on age and sex fell from 52% to 21% and from 31% to 10%, respectively. The number of laboratories designating patient risk for coronary heart disease rose from 31% to 72%. Currently, 61% of laboratories designating risk use the National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines for serum total cholesterol. The use of other risk designations, including high-density lipoprotein--cholesterol, total cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and apolipoproteins changed only modestly during the 5-year interval. The current reporting patterns reflect simplified and more uniform practices apparently in response to the National Cholesterol Education Program.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha 68198-6495.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Engel
authors.forename: E C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Petersen
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: McManus
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D008074:Lipoproteins / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D009656:North America; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D008055:Lipids; D008074:Lipoproteins; D002784:Cholesterol