title: Appropriateness of cholesterol and triglycerides reporting checked by External Quality Assessment programs.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The recommendations of the Second Joint Task Force of European and Other Societies on Coronary Prevention and the third Adult Treatment Panel report (ATPIII) released by the National Cholesterol Education Program are based on accumulating evidence concerning the contribution of lipoproteins and other risk factors in the development of coronary heart disease (CHD). The laboratories play an important role in the successful adoption of these guidelines.
  
  
  METHODS
  In External Quality Assessment (EQA) programs managed by the Center of Biomedical Research, results and respective reference intervals (RI) are sent as laboratory's medical form. We assessed how well the 200 participants to EQA scheme 2002 for clinical biochemistry reported total cholesterol (TC) and triglycerides (TGs) results according to either European or National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) guidelines.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Only 18% of laboratories reported total cholesterol concentrations correctly in terms of desirable, borderline-high, and high risk for the CHD development, 12% reported a single desirable value (180, 190, or 200 mg/dl), and 70% reported the RI (85 laboratories in the whole interval, 34 are the only upper reference limit and 15 are the desirable value in addition to RI). The upper reference limit was 200 mg/dl in 65% of cases, but 32% of laboratories presented higher limits, reaching values as high as 250-260 mg/dl. Only the 3.7% of laboratories reported triglyceride concentrations in terms of risk-oriented ranges for the CHD development, 6.8% the single desirable value, and 89.5% the RI.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study demonstrates that the current practice of reporting results for cholesterol and triglycerides does not follow the guidelines, and appropriate changes are required to be made.
authors.affiliation: Centro di Ricerca Biomedica, Via Ospedale, 18, 31033 Castelfranco Veneto, Treviso, Italy. cucrb1@ulssasolo.ven.it
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Secchiero
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sciacovelli
authors.forename: Lorena
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zardo
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Plebani
mesh_terms: D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D019411:Clinical Laboratory Techniques / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000592:standards*; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D014280:Triglycerides; D002784:Cholesterol