Higher prevalence of elevated LDL-C than non-HDL-C and low statin treatment rate in elderly community-dwelling Chinese with high cardiovascular risk

Lipid levels are increasing in all age groups in the Chinese population, but the use of statin treatment in the elderly is not well documented. We examined serum lipids, statin usage and achievement of lipid goals in 3950 subjects aged ≥65 years. Established CVD was present in 7.77% of participants and increased CVD risk was common. Elevated LDL-C according to CVD risk level was present in 46.70% of all subjects and was more frequent (p < 0.01) than elevated non-HDL-C at 32.58%. With increasing age, LDL-C was unchanged but triglycerides and non-HDL-C decreased and HDL-C increased. Individuals at moderate risk for CVD had higher TC, LDL-C, and non-HDL-C than low-risk subjects, but the values were lower in high- and very-high-risk individuals, probably because of the use of statin which was 28.57% in high-risk subjects with established CVD and 37.60% in very-high-risk individuals, but only 2.62% in those with estimated high-risk and 3.75% in those with high-risk from diabetes. More subjects in each risk group reached the non-HDL-C goal than the LDL-C goal because of the relatively low triglycerides and VLDL-C levels. These findings demonstrate a high prevalence of elevated LDL-C but low rate of statin treatment in elderly community-dwelling Chinese.