Dyslipidemia
South Africa is home to a heterogeneous population with a wide range of cardiovascular (CV) risk factors.1
Between 2009 and 2019, ischaemic heart disease moved from #4 to #1 on the list of top ten causes of death in South Africa.2
Cholesterol reduction in combination with aggressive management of modifiable risk factors – including nutrition, physical activity, blood pressure and smoking – can help to reduce and prevent morbidity and mortality in individuals who are at increased risk of CV events.1
Data collected up until 2000 indicated that 28% of black South Africans and >80% of white, coloured and Indian adults older than 30 years of age have serum total cholesterol (TC) levels of 5mmol/l.3 Dyslipidaemia is therefore an important target for intervention in all population groups.3
For individuals who are not considered to be at high or very high risk of CV, the decision whether to treat (and which interventional strategy to use) is based on a CV risk score.1 This score is calculated using total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), gender, age and smoking status.1
The need for drug therapy and the appropriate intensity of that therapy are determined according to the individual’s baseline low-density lipoprotein (LDL-C) levels and appropriate target LDL-C concentration.1
LDL-C treatment targets are based on pre-treatment risk.
Klug EQ. South African Dyslipidaemia Guideline Consensus Statement. S Afr Med J. 2012;102(3):178. doi:10.7196/SAMJ.5502
Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 (GBD 2019) Data Resources [Online]. GHDx. Cited 1 Sep 2021. Available from: http://ghdx.healthdata.org/gbd-2019
Norman R, Bradshaw D, Steyn K, et al. Estimating the Burden of Disease Attributable to High Cholesterol in South Africa in 2000. S Afr Med J. 2007;97(8 Pt 2):708-715