Blood lipid profiles and factors associated with dyslipidemia assessed by a point-of-care testing device in an outpatient setting: A large-scale cross-sectional study in Southern China.

OBJECTIVE:To promote the concept of POCT and to investigate dyslipidemia in Guangzhou, China, we performed a study examining blood lipids assessed by POCT and reported factors associated with dyslipidemia. DESIGN AND METHODS:This multicenter, cross-sectional study enrolled outpatients from 9 Guangzhou hospitals from May through September 2013. After informed consent was obtained, the following information was collected: age; gender; the presence of diabetes mellitus, obesity, and hypertension as well as current use of cigarettes or alcohol. Patients were asked to fast for 8h before the blood examination performed on a POCT device, the CardioChek PA. RESULTS:Of 4012 patients enrolled (1544 males, 2468 females; mean age 60.35±9.41 years), 1993 (49.7%) patients had dyslipidemia, but only 101 (5.1%) took statins. The multivariate tests of associations between demographic variables, comorbidities, and the risk of having dyslipidemia found that the significant predictors of dyslipidemia were male gender, age ≥60 years, being a current smoker or alcohol drinker, and hypertension. CONCLUSION:Most dyslipidemia patients in Guangzhou remain untreated. POCT in China is feasible, and its widespread use might improve dyslipidemia awareness, treatment and control.