Serum Cholesterol Concentration and Prevalence, Awareness, Treatment, and Control of High Low-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 2008-2010: Beyond the Tip of the Iceberg

Background-The mortality rate from cardiovascular disease (CVD) among young adults has declined less than that in the older population, raising concerns about the increasing prevalence of obesity-related conditions including hypercholesterolemia in the younger population. We investigated the age-standardized mean levels of serum cholesterols and the prevalence, awareness, treatment and control rates of hyper-low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterolemia based on age. Methods and Results-Nationally representative samples of 19 489 subjects aged >= 20 years were analyzed from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 2008-2010. Hyper-LDL-cholesterolemia was individually evaluated by the 2004 National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III guidelines. Age-standardized mean levels of total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and triglycerides were 186.8, 48.0, 112.9, and 136.0 mg/dL, respectively. Age-standardized prevalence of hyper-LDL-cholesterolemia was 23.2% (men, 25.5%; women, 21.8%). Among subjects with hyper-LDL-cholesterolemia, awareness and treatment rates were significantly lower in younger adults (<50 years) compared to older adults >= 50 years (awareness, 8.0% versus 21.5%; treatment, 5.1% versus 18.5%, all Ps<0.001), indicating significant discrepancies in awareness and treatment rates of hypercholesterolemia between younger and older adults. Among subjects aware of their hyper-LDL-cholesterolemia, younger adults were more likely to have controlled LDL-cholesterol than the elderly (82.1% versus 67.5%, P<0.001). Conclusions-Compared to the elderly, significant proportions of young and middle-aged adults are unaware of their hypercholesterolemia and are not treated with proper lipid-lowering medications. Early screening, education, and proper management should be stressed in national public healthcare policies to reduce the increasing burden of CVD in the younger population with undiagnosed hypercholesterolemia.