[Age-related changes in lipid metabolism parameters: screening studies on a population basis]

Measurement of concentrations of total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol and Lp(a) was carried out within a screening project on population basis including 3014 men and 5529 women of the town Leipzig. The age of the participants varied from 18 to 99 years. The aim of this population-based strategy was to identify individuals with elevated risk with regard to atherosclerotic diseases. There is an age dependence with a maximum of the ratio total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol in the age group 61-70 years. Between the ages 50 and 70 years, mean total cholesterol levels in women exceed those of men. Postmenopausal women show higher Lp(a) concentrations than premenopausal women. The observed age dependence of lipid profile may be the result of both intrinsic as well as of environmental factors which are characteristic for industrialized societies.