Prevalence, treatment and control of dyslipidaemia in Switzerland: still a long way to go

Background There is little information regarding the prevalence and management of dyslipidaemia in Switzerland. Design Cross-sectional population-based study of 3238 women and 2846 men aged 35-75. Methods Dyslipidaemia prevalence, treatment and control were defined according to PROCAM guidelines adapted to Switzerland. Results About 29% of the overall sample presented with dyslipidaemia, of which 39% were treated and 58% of those treated were controlled. Among the 710 patients with personal history of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and/or diabetes, 632 (89%) presented with dyslipidaemia, of which 278 (44%) and 134 (21%) patients were treated and adequately controlled, respectively. On multivariate analysis, hypolipidaemic drug treatment was positively related with age and body mass index (P for trend < 0.001), and negatively related with smoking status (P for trend < 0.002), whereas personal history of CVD and/or diabetes had no effect [odds ratio (OR)= 1.12, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.90-1.38]. Adequate control of lipid levels was negatively related with female sex (OR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.45-0.94) and personal history of CVD and/or diabetes (OR = 0.42, 95% CI: 0.30-0.59). When personal history of CVD and/or diabetes was replaced by PROCAM risk categories, patients in the highest risk were also less well controlled. Conclusion In this population-based study, one-third of the participants was dyslipidaemic, but less than half was treated and only one-fifth was adequately controlled. The low treatment and control levels among individuals at high risk for CVD calls for a better application of recommendations regarding personal preventive measures. Eur J Cardiovasc Prev Rehabil 17:682-687 (C) 2010 The European Society of Cardiology