Nature article: Repositioning of the global epicentre of non-optimal cholesterol

VASCage CSO Stefan Kiechl and VASCage project leaders Ursula Kiechl-Kohlendorfer and Michael Knoflach (all Medical University Innsbruck) are among the authors of a recent Nature paper on global cholesterol trends. The WHO study was lead by VASCage associate partner Majid Ezzati (Imperial College London). It pooled 1,127 population-based studies that measured blood lipids in 102.6 million individuals aged 18 years and older to estimate trends from 1980 to 2018 in mean total, non-HDL and HDL cholesterol levels for 200 countries.

As a result, countries with the highest level of non-HDL cholesterol—which is a marker of cardiovascular risk—changed from those in western Europe in 1980 to those in Asia and the Pacific. Blood cholesterol is one of the most important risk factors for ischaemic heart disease and ischaemic stroke. Consistent and comparable information on cholesterol levels and trends in different countries can help to benchmark national performance in addressing non-optimal cholesterol, investigate the reasons behind differential trends and identify countries in which interventions are needed the most.

Source: Taddei, C., Zhou, B., Bixby, H. et al. Repositioning of the global epicentre of non-optimal cholesterol. Nature 582, 73–77 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2338-1

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Press Information Medical University Innsbruck (in German): https://www.i-med.ac.at/pr/presse/2020/35.html