[Prevalence and treatment of hypercholesterolemia in patients with manifest vascular disease according to practice guidelines of the current cholesterol consensus].
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence of hypercholesterolaemia and the use of lipid-lowering medication in patients with a manifest vascular disease.


METHODS
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 period 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 guidelines (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/1 was not reached despite cholesterol lowering medication. In 328 patients (45%) hyperlipidaemia was not treated pharmacologically.


CONCLUSIONS
Two-thirds of the patients with manifest vascular disease had hypercholesterolaemia. Many of these patients were not yet being treated.
van de Laak
M F
MF
Julius Centrum voor Patiëntgebonden Onderzoek, Utrecht.
van der Graaf
Y
Y
Banga
J D
JD
Simons
P C
PC
Algra
A
A
D000368:Aged; D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000209:etiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D019983:Guideline Adherence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D011159:Population Surveillance; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies
D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents