[Epidemiology of hypercholesterolemia in the Vienna area]

Hypercholesterolaemia is the most important risk factor in coronary heart disease (CHD). Epidemiological data are not available for the region of Vienna and the aim of this investigation was to obtain them. The municipal health investigation centres are attended by 6000 to 8000 people from the region of Vienna each year, who may voluntarily use these services once a year without any cost. We analysed total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol and the ratio of total to HDL cholesterol of 733 unselected men and women aged 20 to 79 years, who visited one of the centres in May 1986. The classification was carried out according to the recommendations of the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, USA, 1984). Using these guidelines 26.0% of the men and 26.6% of the women have normal total cholesterol levels. With regard to total cholesterol 55.0% men and 44.3% women have elevated levels and 19.0% of men and 29.2% of women are at high risk of developing CHD. The mean ratios of total to HDL cholesterol, which is closely related to CHD risk, and the proportion with a value above 4.5, which is associated with elevated CHD risk, are closely related to Austrian trends in ischaemic heart disease, which are unfavourable, especially in middle aged men, the so-called "young myocardial infarctions".