Age and sex differences in LDL cholesterol distribution in adults in Malaysia: A cross-sectional study (2010 -2021)

Chalitsios, Christos V.; Akyea, Ralph K.; Abdul-Hamid, Hasidah; Leonardi-Bee, Jo; Kanchau, Johanes D.; Kamal, Aisyah; Mohamed-Yassin, Mohamed-Syarif; Baharudin, Noorhida; Safura Ramli, Anis; Qureshi, Nadeem

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide. Hypercholesterolaemia, especially higher low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c), has been recognised as one of the major key risk factors for CVD. Lipid lowering treatments, such as statins, have been shown to impact both primary and secondary cardiovascular prevention.

In Europe and America, the prevalence of hypercholesterolaemia in adults was 53.7% and 47.7%, respectively, witha lower prevalence in Southeast Asia (30.3%) and Africa (23.1%).3 In Malaysia, there is an increasing trend in the prevalence of hypercholesterolaemia, with a recent prospective study of 11,288 adults reporting a prevalence of 64.0% (95% confidence interval (CI) 63.0–65.0%) and 56.7% (95% CI 55.7–57.7%) for elevated total cholesterol (ie, > 5.2 mmol/L) and elevated LDL-c (ie, > 3.4 mmol/L), respectively.

Establishing the mean LDL-c for each age range in the population is vital for preventive and management strategies for hypercholesterolaemia. In Europe and North America, the mean LDL c is well established,5,6 however; the mean LDL-c level among the primary care population in Malaysia is not well established.

This study, therefore, aimed to describe the mean LDL-c levels in the Malaysian primary care adult population and additionally describe the age and sex differences in the mean LDL-c levels.

Citation

Chalitsios, C. V., Akyea, R. K., Abdul-Hamid, H., Leonardi-Bee, J., Kanchau, J. D., Kamal, A., Mohamed-Yassin, M.-S., Baharudin, N., Safura Ramli, A., & Qureshi, N. (2023). Age and sex differences in LDL cholesterol distribution in adults in Malaysia: A cross-sectional study (2010 -2021). International Journal of General Medicine, 2023(16), 5885—5888. https://doi.org/10.2147/IJGM.S423091

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Sep 27, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Dec 12, 2023
• Publication Date: Dec 12, 2023
• Deposit Date: Oct 3, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 12, 2023
• Journal: International Journal of General Medicine
• Electronic ISSN: 1178-7074
• Publisher: Dove Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 2023
• Issue: 16
• Pages: 5885—5888
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.2147/IJGM.S423091
• Keywords: General Medicine
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/25673880
• Publisher URL: https://www.dovepress.com/articles.php?article_id=88948