LDL Levels Drop by One-Third

By Rachel Stockton 

Analyzing data provided by the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, CDC epidemiologist Elena Kuklina has announced that among adults, “bad” cholesterol has dropped by 1/3.

Those patients with low-density lipoprotein levels (LDL) made up 32% of those surveyed in 1999; by 2006, this percentage dropped 11 points.  13% of those involved in the study were on some type of cholesterol lowering drug, such as Lipitor (top selling drug of 2008) and Zocor.  Another reason for the drop could be that people are more aware of the role of diet and exercise in a heart healthy lifestyle.

The results of Kuklina’s analyisis are being published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.  While she admits that the decrease in those with high levels of LDL is encouraging, she contends that we still have along way to go, with regards to diagnosis and screening.

What bothers Kuklina and other health professionals is the number of people who are not being screened and/or diagnosed.  A full 36% of those with the highest LDL levels had not been screened before taking part in the survey; 40% had been either untreated or inadequately treated in 2006.

Some doctors blame an inefficient system that doesn’t target those who should be screened in a timely manner.  Despite the tremendous strides that have been made in this area, if patients go unscreened and undiagnosed, they cannot get the help they need to reverse unhealthy trends before they become life threatening.

If left untreated, high levels of LDL cholesterol can cause plaque build up in the arteries of the heart and brain, greatly increasing a person’s  risk of heart disease and/or stroke.