Treatment of hyperlipidemia

In 1995 and 1996, US adults made more than 18 million office visits for the evaluation and treatment of hyperlipidemia, including 3.4% of all visits to family physicians, Among visits to Family physicians, 4.1% included measurement of cholesterol levels. Overall, mean cholesterol levels, decreased from 220 in 1960-1962 to 203 in 1988-1994. During the same time period, the proportion of adults with elevated total cholesterol levels (> 240) decreased front 320,6 to 19%(2). Despite this progress, the availability of more effective drugs, guidelines advocating increasingly aggressive treatment, and populationwide goals established in Healthy People 2010 will continue to increase the number of patients seen by family physicians for screening, diagnosis, and treatment of hyperlipidemia.