Detection and measurement of Hypercholesterolaemia in South Africans attending general practitioners in private practice - The cholesterol monitor

Background. 1bis paper reports data on the detection and management of hypercholesterolaemia in patients attending general practitioners in private practice in South Africa.Methods. The frequency of cholesterol testing and the level at which active therapeutic intervention occurred at medical practices were monitored over a 2-year period. A sample of 200 medical practitioners was selected from private practices in major citie;. Data on patients seen by the selected doctors during a 5-day monitoring period were recorded on a standardised form.Results. 12842 patients were seen by the 200 private practice· GPs. More men (18.7%) than women (10.4%) had coronary heart disease (CHD), and their mean total cholesterol (TC) levels were 5.9 mmol/l and 6.0 mmol/l, respectively. Only 3.1% of the patients were reported to have familial hypercholesterolaemia (FH) and 12.8% were reported to have a family history of CHD. Reported smoking rates were exceptionally high (77.5% of women and 64.4% of men). The most commonly prescribed group of lipid-lowering agents was HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors.Conclusions. Inadequate management of hypercholesterol-· aemia leaves many patients with a high risk of CHD mortality in South Africa. Appropriately investigated patients with hypercholesterolaemia should receive treatment to reduce cardiovascular disease using more effective TC control programmes than are currently used in South Africa.