Treatment of hyperlipidemia.
In 1995 and 1996, US adults made more than 18 million office visits for the evaluation and treatment of hyperlipidemia, including 3.4% of all visits to family physicians. Among visits to family physicians, 4.1% included measurement of cholesterol levels.(1) Overall, mean cholesterol levels decreased from 220 in 1960-1962 to 203 in 1988-1994. During the same time period, the proportion of adults with elevated total cholesterol levels (> 240) decreased from 32% to 19%.(2) Despite this progress, the availability of more effective drugs, guidelines advocating increasingly aggressive treatment, and population-wide goals established in Healthy People 2010 will continue to increase the number of patients seen by family physicians for screening, diagnosis, and treatment of hyperlipidemia.
Henley
Eric
E
Department of Family & Community Medicine, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Rockford, 1601 Parkview Ave., Robkford, IL 61107, USA. ehenley@uic.edu
Chang
Linda
L
Hollander
Sue
S
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000465:Algorithms; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000517:prevention & control; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008517:Phytotherapy; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D018570:Risk Assessment
D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents