The dangers of bad cholesterol

MANILA, Philippines - High cholesterol-laden dishes have lately become as hazardous to health as packs of cigarettes.

According to reports, high levels of bad cholesterol (low density lipoprotein cholesterol or LDL-C) have been largely responsible for thousands of cardiovascular (CV) deaths in Asia. 

With this growing concern, CEPHEUS (Centralized Pan-Asian Survey on the Under Treatment of Hypercholesterolemia) has been launched. It is a large-scale, multinational study evaluating the current treatment status of hypercholesterolemia (high blood cholesterol) in Asia.

This study investigates possible association of patient and physician characteristics, as well as their attitude toward the management of hypercholesterolemia.

According to the study, high cholesterol causes approximately one-third of all CV diseases worldwide.

The sad part about this is, a lot of patients under lipid-lowering medication are believed to be under-treated.

With these facts, CEPHEUS aimed to determine the treatment situation for hypercholesterolemia in high-risk individuals.

Moreover, CEPHEUS was set to establish the percentage of patients achieving target cholesterol goals based on the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) guidelines.

Finally, CEPHEUS aimed to identify and understand the characteristics of both physician and patient.

Through these objectives, CEPHEUS can help physicians and patients better manage and eventually reduce the leading risk of heart diseases, which is hypercholesterolemia.

The study covers Vietnam, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, and the Philippines.

In the Philippines, the sites covered by the CEPHEUS span across the country are the following: Luzon (St. Louis University Hospital of the Sacred Heart, Manila Doctors Hospital, and Mary Mediatrix Medical Center); the Visayas (Chong Hua Hospital, Iloilo Doctors Hospital, St. Paul Hospital Iloilo, Perpetual Succour Hospital); and Mindanao (Davao Doctors Hospital).

According to the CEPHEUS findings, half of the patients achieved their goals in managing their LDL-C, while the other half failed to do so with their existing treatment.

Through CEPHEUS, it was also discovered that half of the patients regularly forgot to take their tablets, while the other half forgot to take their medication once every two weeks or more often. These patients thought that missing a tablet once every two weeks or more often would not affect their cholesterol levels.

Moreover, through CEPHEUS, researchers observed that physicians don’t like to switch treatment regimens and patients don’t like to be switched.

Also, more than half of the patients are still on the same lipid-lowering drug that was first prescribed to them.

Through these findings, they came up with the following implications: compliance has strong correlation in achieving LDL-C goals; a good start with aggressive treatment regimen is key to successful outcomes; and counseling on lifestyle changes may help reach cholesterol goals.

CEPHEUS, considered as a landmark study, was supervised by pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.