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[Prevalence and treatment of hypercholesterolemia in patients with manifest vascular disease according to practice guidelines of the current cholesterol consensus].

OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence of hypercholesterolaemia and the use of lipid-lowering medication in patients with a manifest vascular disease.


DESIGN
Prospective, cross-sectional.


METHODS
In patients who visited the University Medical Centre Utrecht, the Netherlands, for the first time with a manifestation of atherosclerosis in the period 1 September 1996-15 November 1998, we determined by a single measurement of the cholesterol if they were eligible for lipid-lowering medication according to the cholesterol cut-off value mentioned in the new Dutch cholesterol guidelines (1998) of the Dutch Institute for Health Care Improvement.


RESULTS
The study group comprised 737 patients: 539 (73%) males and 198 (27%) females, with a mean age of 62 year. 500 (68%) were eligible for lipid-lowering treatment. 66 patients (9%) were being treated according to the guidelines and in 106 (14%) the aim of a cholesterol lower than 5.0 mmol/1 was not reached despite cholesterol lowering medication. In 328 patients (45%) hyperlipidaemia was not treated pharmacologically.


CONCLUSION
Two-thirds of the patients with manifest vascular disease had hypercholesterolaemia. Many of these patients were not yet being treated.