Lipid distributions in the Global Diagnostics Network across five continents

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology
• Clinical Chemistry
• Global Health

Background:

• Lipids play a critical role in the development of cardiovascular disease.
• Understanding global variations in lipid profiles is essential for assessing cardiovascular risk and developing effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the variation in lipid profiles across different countries.
• To improve the understanding of cardiovascular risk and identify opportunities for risk-reducing interventions.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of aggregated lipid results from 461,888,753 patients aged 20-89 years, tested between 2018-2020.
• Evaluation of lipid distributions from nine laboratory organizations across 17 countries on five continents.
• Assessment of mean lipid levels, World Health Organization total cholesterol risk targets, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) categories.

Main Results:

• Significant variation in lipid profiles was observed by country, region, sex, and age.
• Total cholesterol and LDL-C levels peaked in middle age, with differences between sexes.
• Mean total cholesterol exceeded WHO targets in several European countries and Austria, while North Macedonia showed high LDL-C, and Canada/UK showed low LDL-C.

Conclusions:

• Nearly half a billion lipid results reveal worldwide variability, potentially due to genetics, testing practices, lifestyle, and treatment.
• Elevated atherogenic lipid levels represent a common global health challenge.
• These findings can inform national policies and health system strategies to mitigate lipid-mediated cardiovascular disease risk.