Kernekoncepter
Only 11.3% of US youths aged 9-21 years undergo lipid screening, with nearly one-third of those screened showing abnormal lipid levels, particularly among those with overweight or obesity.
Resumé
This study examined the prevalence of lipid screening and abnormal lipid profiles among US youths aged 9-21 years using data from the IQVIA Ambulatory Electronic Medical Record database from 2018 to 2021.
The key findings are:
- Only 11.3% of the 3.2 million youths included in the study underwent documented lipid screening.
- Of those screened, 30.2% had abnormal lipid levels, with the highest prevalence (32.3%) among those aged 9-11 years.
- Compared to youths with healthy weight, the prevalence of abnormal lipid results was significantly higher among those with overweight (58% higher), moderate obesity (116% higher), and severe obesity (153% higher).
- The most common abnormalities were elevated triglycerides (25.5%), total cholesterol (11.4%), and LDL-C (9.5%).
- The authors note that this represents a missed opportunity for early intervention and guideline-recommended treatment, which includes lifestyle modification and lipid-lowering medication.
The study was limited by the use of a non-nationally representative healthcare database and potential underestimation of screening due to incomplete data. However, the findings highlight the critical need to improve lipid screening rates, especially among youth with overweight and obesity, to enable early detection and management of dyslipidemia.
Statistik
Only 11.3% of US youths aged 9-21 years underwent documented lipid screening.
30.2% of the screened youths had abnormal lipid levels.
The prevalence of abnormal lipid results was 58% higher among youths with overweight, 116% higher among those with moderate obesity, and 153% higher among those with severe obesity, compared to youths with healthy weight.
The most common abnormalities were elevated triglycerides (25.5%), total cholesterol (11.4%), and LDL-C (9.5%).
Citater
"Our study adds observational evidence that a large proportion of youths who receive screening have elevated lipid levels and might benefit from early intervention."
"This is a missed opportunity for referring children and families to guideline-recommended treatment, which includes lifestyle modification and the use of lipid-lowering medication."