Key result
Only 18.1% of individuals with dyslipidemia detected at health checkups attended a follow-up visit within 180 days, with younger age, male sex, and lack of symptoms associated with non-attendance.
Why the study?
Dyslipidemia increases cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease risk, making physician follow-up essential when detected during health checkups, but factors associated with non-attendance were unclear.
Cohort (n=33,503)
Only 18.1% of individuals with dyslipidemia identified at health checkups attended a follow-up visit within 180 days, highlighting a significant gap in preventive care linkage, particularly among younger, asymptomatic males.
Highlights gaps in dyslipidemia care linkage; leaves open whether targeted outreach improves follow-up.
Introduction: Dyslipidemia increases the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. Visiting a physician for follow-up is essential when dyslipidemia is detected during health checkups. We investigated factors associated with non-attendance at a follow-up visit for dyslipidemia. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using linked health checkups and medical claims data from individuals covered by National Health Insurance in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan. Participants were 40-74 years old, underwent health checkups between April 2018 and March 2019, and had cholesterol levels exceeding the recommended levels to visit a physician. We excluded individuals who had visited physicians for dyslipidemia in the past year. We calculated the proportion of patients who had a follow-up visit with a physician within 180 days after their health checkup. Then, we investigated the demographic and clinical characteristics associated with non-attendance using a multivariable logistic regression model. Results: Among 33,503 individuals (median age, 66 years [interquartile range, 59-69 years]; females, 58.8%) with dyslipidemia at the health checkup, 18.1% attended follow-up visits. Younger age, male sex, drinking habits, and lack of symptoms were associated with higher odds of non-attendance. Participants who underwent health checkups at public facilities, lacked other abnormal results at health checkups, and had not visited physicians for other diseases were less likely to attend a follow-up visit. Among those with elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, those with relatively lower LDL-C levels were less likely to attend. Conclusions: Systems that inform high-risk populations of non-attendance and encourage follow-up visits are warranted.
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Taniguchi et al. (2024) conducted a cohort in Dyslipidemia (n=33,503). Demographic and clinical risk factors (e.g., younger age, male sex, drinking habits) vs. Reference groups was evaluated on Follow-up visit with a physician within 180 days after health checkup. Only 18.1% of individuals with dyslipidemia detected at health checkups attended a follow-up visit within 180 days, with younger age, male sex, and lack of symptoms associated with non-attendance.
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