The first 6 years of the Tygerberg Hospital lipid clinic

The Tygerberg Hospital Lipid Clinic was established in July 1983. The demographic characteristics, lipid abnormalities, coronary risk factor profile, treatment status and 6-month follow-up lipid changes of patients seen during its first 6 years are summarised. During this period 329 patients were seen and complete lipograms were available for 312 of them. This patient population, consisting of 87.2% whites and 12.8% coloureds, represented a wide age range (2-69 years), various occupations and the whole spectrum of educational qualifications. The plasma cholesterol levels of 78.8% of the patients could be described as high risk, according to the cholesterol action limits of the Heart Foundation of Southern Africa, and 33.2% had low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (less than 1 mmol/l) levels. Approximately 20% of the patients had familial hypercholesterolaemia and 31.1% were already on lipid-lowering medication before registration. The Lipid Clinic succeeded in improving the mean overall plasma cholesterol levels by 8% during the 6 months after registration and provided essential information for the planning of treatment strategies for patients with hypercholesterolaemia.