Lowering cholesterol can reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. Studies show that, in the United States, a large percentage of adults with high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol are untreated or undertreated. In the November 18, 2009 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, researchers report that the number of U.S. adults with high LDL cholesterol decreased from 1999-2000 to 2005-2006.

Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention investigated trends in cholesterol screening, use of cholesterol-lowering medicines, and LDL cholesterol levels. Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), the researchers found that the prevalence of high LDL cholesterol levels among adults aged 20 years or older decreased from 31.5 percent in 1999-200 to 21.2 percent in 2005-2006. However, the prevalence of high LDL cholesterol was still nearly 60 percent among adults in high-risk categories.

Based on self-reported data, the use of cholesterol-lowering medications increased from 8.0 percent to 13.4 percent during the study period, but cholesterol screening rates remained stable at less than 70 percent. So, although U.S. cholesterol levels may be improving, the rate of cholesterol screening still requires improvement in order to identify individuals with untreated high LDL cholesterol.