Design, Findings and Five-year Follow-up of Preventive Medical Lipid Intervention Clinic in Malmö

Abstract

In a separate lipid intervention clinic integrated within the framework of a multiphasic preventive medical population program in Malmö, 401 of 2431 screening attenders in a male birth-year cohort born in 1927 and 1928 had elevated values of triglyceride and/or cholesterol. Hypertriglyceridemia was more than three times as frequent as hypercholesterolemia. Of these attenders 20% had normal values at the second control, 5% did not attend the second test and 92 (31.2%) of the remaining were referred to other clinics because of other high risk factors. Thus, 209 (8.6% of the screening attenders) males born in 1927 and 1928 attended the lipid clinic for isolated hyperlipidemia. Disregarding a 5-year drop-out frequency of 13 sections, a significant reduction in the lipids was obtained during the follow-up period in those remaining in treatment. This study demonstrates the feasibility in taking care of hyperlipidemic individuals after a screening detection program. Detection and treatment of hyperlipidemia should of course also be initiated in the individual case in ordinary medical practice.