Key result
The prevalence of high total cholesterol ranged from 30.2% to 47.7% across six Asia-Pacific countries, with high LDL-C ranging from 33.2% to 47.5%.
Why the study?
Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in the Asia-Pacific region, with an increasing prevalence of plasma lipid disorders across many Asian countries.
Plasma lipid disorders are highly prevalent across the Asia-Pacific region, with suboptimal management driven by physician reluctance to use high-intensity statins, patient knowledge gaps, and resource constraints.
Substantial dyslipidemia prevalence across Asia-Pacific countries warrants enhanced screening; observational data leave standardized thresholds and management open.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a major cause of mortality and morbidity within the Asia-Pacific region, with the prevalence of CVD risk factors such as plasma lipid disorders increasing in many Asian countries. As members of the Cardiovascular RISk Prevention (CRISP) in Asia network, the authors have focused on plasma lipid disorders in the six countries within which they have clinical experience: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Australia. Based on country-specific national surveys, the prevalence of abnormal levels of total cholesterol, low- and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C and HDL-C, respectively), and triglycerides (TG) are reported. An important caveat is that countries have used different thresholds to define plasma lipid disorders, making direct comparisons difficult. The prevalence of abnormal lipid levels was as follows: high total cholesterol (30.2-47.7%, thresholds: 190-213 mg/dL); high LDL-C (33.2-47.5%; thresholds: 130-135 mg/dL); low/abnormal HDL-C (22.9-72.0%; thresholds: 39-50 mg/dL); and high/abnormal TG (13.9-38.7%; thresholds: 150-177 mg/dL). Similarities and differences between country-specific guidelines for the management of plasma lipid disorders are highlighted. Based on the authors' clinical experience, some of the possible reasons for suboptimal management of plasma lipid disorders in each country are described. Issues common to several countries include physician reluctance to prescribe high-dose and/or high-intensity statins and poor understanding of disease, treatments, and side effects among patients. Treatment costs and geographical constraints have also hampered disease management in Indonesia and the Philippines. Understanding the factors governing the prevalence of plasma lipid disorders helps enhance strategies to reduce the burden of CVD in the Asia-Pacific region.
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Lee et al. (2021) conducted a review in Plasma lipid disorders (n=111,000). Plasma lipid disorders was evaluated on Prevalence of high total cholesterol. The prevalence of high total cholesterol ranged from 30.2% to 47.7% across six Asia-Pacific countries, with high LDL-C ranging from 33.2% to 47.5%.
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