Portuguese Lipid Study (e_LIPID)

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence is rising globally, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, driven by lifestyle changes.
• Dyslipidemia is a significant independent risk factor for CVD, necessitating accurate identification for effective prevention.
• Understanding population-specific lipid profiles is crucial for developing targeted public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the lipid profile of the general Portuguese population.
• To establish population-specific percentiles for key lipid biomarkers.
• To assess the prevalence of dyslipidemia and its association with CVD risk factors in Portugal.

Main Methods:

• Inclusion of 1688 individuals from the general Portuguese population (e_COR study, 2012-2014).
• Estimation of population-specific percentiles for ten lipid biomarkers using bootstrapping methods.
• Statistical analysis to determine national prevalence of lipid parameters and severe dyslipidemia.

Main Results:

• The 50th percentile for total cholesterol (TC), LDL-C, and non-HDL-C align with recommended values for low-to-moderate risk populations.
• High prevalence of lipid parameters exceeding recommended values: 64.6% for TC, 66.9% for LDL-C, 51.3% for apoB, and 68.9% for non-HDL-C.
• Severe dyslipidemia (>90th percentile) was prevalent, especially for small dense LDL-C (31.3%), apoB (30.4%), and LDL-C (30.3%).

Conclusions:

• This study presents the first lipid biomarker percentiles for the Portuguese general population.
• Hypercholesterolemia is a widespread and under-addressed cardiovascular risk factor in Portugal.
• Urgent strategies focusing on lifestyle modifications and medication adherence are needed to manage this modifiable risk factor.