Lipid profile and treatment results in adults aged 25–64 in Czechia: a cross-sectional study

Q: What are the key findings of this study?

Dyslipidemia affected 71.7% of Czech adults aged 25-64 years, with only 33.4% aware of their condition, 27.7% of aware individuals treated, and 23.7% of treated individuals achieving lipid control.

Q: What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Cross-Sectional. Population: Dyslipidemia and cardiovascular risk factors in the general adult population (n=1057). Intervention: Lipid-lowering drug therapy and dyslipidemia status vs. Untreated or normolipidemic/normoglycemic subgroups. Primary outcome: Prevalence of dyslipidemia and achievement of study-defined lipid control among treated participants (95% CI 15.4-34.5).

Q: What does this research mean for the field?

Dyslipidemia affects 71.7% of Czech adults aged 25–64 years, but awareness, treatment rates, and treatment efficacy remain low, with only 23.7% of treated individuals achieving lipid control. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.INCREMENTAL. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

Juraj Michalec; Michala Lustigová; Kristýna Žejglicová; Jana Malinovská; Pavlína Krollová; Kanupriya Goyal; Eldin Fahmy; Martin Wasserbauer; Marika Koželuhová; Natália Michalcová; Denisa Janíčková Žďarská; Pavlína Piťhová; Jan Brož

doi:10.1038/s41598-026-77844-4

October 27, 2026Scientific ReportsOpen Access

Lipid profile and treatment results in adults aged 25–64 in Czechia: a cross-sectional study

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Key result

Dyslipidemia affects ~72% of Czech adults, with only ~24% of treated patients achieving lipid control.

95% CI 15.4-34.5
n=1,057

Why the study?

Cardiovascular diseases remain the leading cause of death in Czechia due to the persistently high prevalence of risk factors including dyslipidemia, motivating an evaluation of the success rate of meeting study-defined lipid control.

Key Points

To determine the prevalence of dyslipidemia, patient awareness, treatment rates, and the success rate of achieving study-defined lipid control in the Czech adult population.
Cross-sectional survey including 1057 adults (426 men and 631 women) aged 25–64 years from the Czech European Health Examination Survey (EHES 2019) using a stratified random sampling design.
Serum lipid panels (total cholesterol, LDL-C, HDL-C, non-HDL-C, and triglycerides) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) were measured and evaluated according to standardized epidemiological criteria.
Dyslipidemia was present in 71.7% of participants (95% CI, 68.6–74.7%), with risk values found in 54.3% for total cholesterol, 52.3% for LDL-C, 41.1% for non-HDL-C, 27.6% for triglycerides, and 8.7% for HDL-C.
Among individuals with dyslipidemia, only 33.4% (95% CI, 30.0–37.0%) were aware of their disorder, and 27.7% (95% CI, 22.5–33.5%) of aware individuals used lipid-lowering medication (34.5% men vs. 20.2% women; P=0.007).
Study-defined normal lipid targets were achieved by only 23.7% (95% CI, 15.4–34.5%) of treated participants (32.1% in women vs. 19.1% in men; P=0.182).

Study Design

Type

Cross-Sectional (n=1,057)

Structured PICO

P

Population

1,057 middle-aged Czech adults (aged 25-64 years, 59.7% female) recruited from the population-based EHES 2019 cross-sectional survey.

E

Exposure

Lipid-lowering drugs (self-reported use among participants aware of dyslipidemia) and stratification by sex and glycemic status (normoglycemia, prediabetes, diabetes).

O

Outcome

Prevalence of study-defined dyslipidemia (total cholesterol ≥5.0 mmol/l, HDL-C <1.0 mmol/l in men or <1.2 mmol/l in women, LDL-C ≥3.0 mmol/l, fasting triglycerides ≥1.7 mmol/l or non-fasting ≥2.0 mmol/l, and/or use of lipid-lowering drugs), awareness of dyslipidemia, use of lipid-lowering treatment, and achievement of study-defined lipid control (normalization of all measured lipid parameters).surrogate

Limitations

Relatively low participation rate (25%), potentially introducing selection bias
Variance estimation did not explicitly account for clustering and stratification in the original EHIS sampling design
Cross-sectional design does not allow causal inference
Dyslipidemia and lipid control were defined using fixed study-specific thresholds rather than individual cardiovascular risk-based guideline targets
Subgroup comparisons were not multivariably adjusted for potential confounders
Self-reported awareness and medication use are subject to reporting or recall bias, and detailed data on drug type, dose, or adherence were unavailable
Relatively low participation rate in EHES (25%), which may have introduced selection bias
Cross-sectional design does not allow causal inference regarding observed differences in lipid levels, awareness, treatment, or control
Dyslipidemia and lipid control were defined using fixed study-specific thresholds rather than individual cardiovascular risk-based treatment targets
Subgroup comparisons (e.g., by glycemic status) were not multivariably adjusted for confounders and some subgroups were small
Awareness and medication use were self-reported, and the study lacked data on drug type, dose, duration, or adherence

Implication

This population-based survey demonstrates a high burden of dyslipidemia (71.7%) in middle-aged Czech adults alongside substantial gaps in patient awareness (33.4%), treatment uptake (27.7% of aware), and lipid control (23.7% of treated).

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) remain the leading cause of death in Czechia. This is caused by the persistently high prevalence of several CVD risk factors, including dyslipidemia. Our goal was to establish the success rate of meeting the study-defined lipid control. We used data from the Czech cross-sectional study EHES 2019 (European Health Examination Survey), which is an epidemiological study with a stratified random sampling design. All parameters were assessed according to standardized criteria. The data were analyzed via descriptive statistics and group comparisons. A total of 1057 participants (426 men and 631 women) aged 25–64 years were included in the study. The most common risk factor was dyslipidemia, accounting for 71.7% of the studied population. The shares of participants with risk values of the lipid spectrum indicator were distributed as follows: 54.3% for total cholesterol; 52.3% for LDL-C; 8.7% for HDL-C; 41.1% for non-HDL-C; and 27.6% for TAG. The percentage of subjects with dyslipidemia who were aware of this disorder was 33.4%, while that of respondents with knowledge of dyslipidemia treated with lipid-lowering drugs was 27.7%. The measured lipid levels met the study-defined normal values in only 23.7% of the treated participants. The study revealed not only a low awareness among patients of their conditions but also a low efficacy in achieving lipid goals.

Discussion

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Cite This Study

Michalec et al. (2026) conducted a cross-sectional in Dyslipidemia and cardiovascular risk factors in the general adult population (n=1,057). Lipid-lowering drug therapy and dyslipidemia status vs. Untreated or normolipidemic/normoglycemic subgroups was evaluated on Prevalence of dyslipidemia and achievement of study-defined lipid control among treated participants (95% CI 15.4-34.5). Dyslipidemia affected 71.7% of Czech adults aged 25-64 years, with only 33.4% aware of their condition, 27.7% of aware individuals treated, and 23.7% of treated individuals achieving lipid control.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6ae1905bcdb9aa523b818f52 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-77844-4

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Lipid profile and treatment results in adults aged 25–64 in Czechia: a cross-sectional study

Key Points

Study Design

Structured PICO

Limitations

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

Lipid profile and treatment results in adults aged 25–64 in Czechia: a cross-sectional study

Key Points

Study Design

Structured PICO

Limitations

Implication

Abstract

Discussion

Cite This Study

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