title: Correlates of Untreated Hypercholesterolemia in Older Adults: A Community-Based Household Survey in China.
abstract: Hypercholesterolemia is common in older adults and less treated, but little is known about correlates of untreated hypercholesterolemia. Using a standard interview method we examined a random sample of 7,572 participants aged ≥60 years in a community-based household survey across 7 provinces of China during 2007-2012, and documented 328 cases of hypercholesterolemia from self-reported doctor diagnosis. Compared to participants with normal cholesterol, older adults with hypercholesterolemia had higher socioeconomic position and larger body mass index. In patients with hypercholesterolemia, 209 were not treated using lipid-lowering medications (63.7%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 58.5%-68.9%). Untreated hypercholesterolemia was significantly associated with female sex (adjusted odds ratio 2.13, 95%CI 1.17-3.89), current smoking (3.48, 1.44-8.44), heavy alcohol drinking (3.13,1.11-8.84), chronic bronchitis (2.37,1.14-4.90) and high level of meat consumptions (2.85,1.22-6.65). Although having coronary heart disease exposed participants for treatment, half of participants with coronary heart disease did not receive lipid-lowering medications. Among hypercholesterolemia participants with stroke, hypertension or diabetes, more than half of them did not receive lipid-lowering medications. The high proportion of untreated hypercholesterolemia in older, high-risk Chinese adults needs to be mitigated through multi-faceted primary and secondary prevention strategies to increase population opportunities of treating hypercholesterolemia.
authors.affiliation: School of Health Administrations, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.
authors.forename: Zhi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.affiliation: James Paget University Hospital, Gorleston-on-Sea, Norfolk, United Kingdom; Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: M Justin
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Zaman
authors.affiliation: School of Health Administrations, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.
authors.forename: Jingjing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Division of Health and Social Care Research, King's College London, London, United Kingdom; NIHR Biomedical Resaerch Centre at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Janet L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Peacock
authors.affiliation: Centre for Health and Social Care Improvement, Faculty of Education, Health and Wellbeing, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom; Post Graduate Academic Institute of Medicine, University of Wolverhampotn, Wolverhampton, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Ruoling
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chen
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044466:Asian People; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012423:Rural Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014504:Urban Health / Q000706:statistics & numerical data