Longitudinal changes in serum lipids of elderly Europeans

Objective: To describe the serum total cholesterol, lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations in elderly people from the SENECA follow-up study and report on longitudinal changes in these lipid concentrations over a four-year follow-up period. Design: Longitudinal study including baseline measurements taken in 1988/1989 which were repeated in 1993. Subjects: In 1993 lipid concentrations were assayed in blood serum collected from 1181 elderly men and women, born from 1913 to 1918 and living in twelve small towns in ten European countries and one town in the USA. 1062 of these subjects had also participated in the baseline study. Results: Mean concentrations ranged from 4.91 to 6.72 mmol/l for total cholesterol, 1.15 to 1.64 mmol/l for HDL cholesterol, 3.04 to 4.47 mmol/l for LDL cholesterol and 1.03 to 1.79 mmol/l for triglycerides. Thirty-two per cent of European men and 18% of women had plasma total cholesterol concentrations below 5.16 mmol/l; 32% of men and 56% of women had HDL cholesterol concentrations exceeding 1.42 mmol/l. Total- and HDL-cholesterol concentrations, and the HDL:total cholesterol ratio were higher in women than in men. Despite large variations between towns no clear north-south gradient was observed. Yet, lowest values for LDL cholesterol tended to be located in the south, while the highest values for LDL cholesterol showed up in the north. Comparisons between the 1989 and 1993 surveys revealed a significant decrease in total cholesterol and an increase in the HDL:total cholesterol ratio without significant variation in HDL cholesterol or triglyceride concentrations. Conclusion: Though serum lipid concentrations varied widely across Europe, a marked decline in total cholesterol values along with an increase in the HDL:total cholesterol ratio occurred across the SENECA towns.