A new study shows that Victorians and Tasmanians have the worst average cholesterol levels in Australia. The study looked at almost 200,000 patient records over 5 and half years and showed that Tasmanians’ average cholesterol level was the nation’s highest, at 5.41mmol/L (millimoles per litre), with Victorians’ average level at 5.23mmol/L.
Results for other states were South Australians (5.19mmol/L), followed by the Northern Territory (5.16mmol/L), Western Australia (5.13mmol/L), New South Wales (5.10mmol/L), and the Australian Capital Territory (5.08mmol/L). The lowest average cholesterol levels in the study period from 2004 to mid-2009 were found in Queensland, at 5.05mmol/L. The study is entitled, “Australia’s Cholesterol Crossroads” and the information was collected from 596 GPs and 237 primary health care clinics across Australia.
Cholesterol is a kind of fat in the blood that is bad for the heart and leads to more heart attacks and deaths due to heart disease. It has several components – good cholesterol or HDL and bad cholesterol or LDL. This study was conducted by the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute. The report was sponsored by pharmaceuticals company AstraZeneca, the maker of cholesterol drug Crestor.
Results for bad cholesterol or LDL showed Tasmania and South Australia (both with 3.23mmol/L), followed by Victoria and Queensland (both with 3.13 mmol/L). The ACT had average LDL levels of 3.10mmol/L, followed by WA (3.04mmol/L) and New South Wales (3.03mmol/L). LDL levels as per recommendations should be under 3.0 mmol/L. A total of 55 per cent of patients had higher-than-desirable levels of bad cholesterol (LDL-C), and many were not achieving treatment targets.
Professor Simon Stewart, one of the authors expressed his concern saying, “This is concerning given the link between cholesterol and heart disease, the leading cause of death in this country.” He noted that levels differed between states and that may indicate socio-economic differences, or differences in healthcare management. “Observed differences indicate that patients in these high cholesterol states are at higher risk of preventable strokes and hearth attacks,” he said.
Hobart GP and Baker IDI Professorial Fellow Peter Sexton said the results of the large study were “extremely alarming”. “In Tasmania we’re already worse off, we have a bit over 22 per cent of all deaths caused by cardiovascular disease as opposed to 16.4 per cent everywhere else. About 400 more Tasmanians are dying every year of cardiovascular disease than the national average… It shows us that there are still very high levels of cholesterol in the Tasmanian community and people aren’t recognizing that, or if it is recognized it’s not being adequately treated.,” Dr Sexton said.
As an overall recommendation, authors advise Australian adults to adopt a healthy lifestyle, know their cholesterol levels, remember to take prescribed medicine regularly and to develop a long term plan to treat and monitor cholesterol levels.
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