Prevention & lipidsCross-sectional study
Lipid distributions in the Global Diagnostics Network across five continents
- Cross-sectional study
- multinational
- 9 laboratory organizations in 17 countries on 5 continents
Authors' conclusion
With nearly a half billion lipid results, this study sheds light on the worldwide variability in lipid levels, which may reflect inter-country differences in genetics, lipid testing, lifestyle habits, and pharmacologic treatment. Despite variability, elevated atherogenic lipid levels are a common global problem
Study context
- Population
- Patients aged 20–89 years tested at Global Diagnostics Network (GDN) laboratories, 2018–2020461,888,753 lipid results
- Outcome
- Lipid distributions: mean levels, WHO total cholesterol target (<5.00 mmol/L) and guideline-based LDL-C categories, by country/region, sex and age
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Lipid levels by country, sex and age
- Sex- and age-adjusted mean total cholesterol, lowest: Republic of Korea
- 4.58 mmol/L (177.1 mg/dL)
- Sex- and age-adjusted mean total cholesterol, highest: Austria
- 5.40 mmol/L (208.8 mg/dL)
- Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) >4.91 mmol/L (>190 mg/dL), highest: North Macedonia, females
- 9.9%
- LDL-C >4.91 mmol/L (>190 mg/dL), highest: North Macedonia, males
- 8.7%
- LDL-C <1.55 mmol/L (<60 mg/dL), most common: females in Canada
- 10.7%
- LDL-C <1.55 mmol/L (<60 mg/dL), most common: males in UK
- 17.3%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Lipid distributions in the Global Diagnostics Network across five continents. Eur Heart J. Published 1 July 2023. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehad371
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it