Table 2.
Age‐/Sex‐Adjusted Point Estimates (95% CIs) in Cholesterol Screening, Lipid Levels, and Lipid‐Lowering Medication Use
| Outcomes | NHANES 2017 to 2018 | NHANES 2017 to March 2020 prepandemic |
|---|---|---|
| Proportions of cholesterol screening, % | ||
| Ever screened | 81.1 (78.8–83.2) | 81.3 (79.5–83.0) |
| Screened within 5 y | 72.5 (69.5–75.3) | 72.6 (70.5–74.6) |
| Mean lipid levels, mg/dL | ||
| Total cholesterol | 188.4 (185.4–191.5) | 186.6 (184.3–189.0) |
| Triglycerides | 91.4 (88.4–94.6) | 90.6 (87.9–93.3) |
| LDL‐C | 111.7 (109.0–114.4) | 110.5 (108.2–112.9) |
| HDL‐C | 53.4 (52.6–54.3) | 53.5 (52.8–54.2) |
| Proportions of lipid‐lowering medication use (among statin‐eligible US adults), % | ||
| Statin only | 27.8 (23.0–33.2) | 32.1 (24.0–41.6) |
| Stain plus another lipid‐lowering medication | 1.5 (1.0–2.4) | 4.0 (1.3–11.1) |
| Ezetimibe | 1.5 (0.8–2.7) | 3.7 (1.3–9.8) |
| Fibric acid agents | 1.6 (0.9–2.9) | 2.3 (1.3–3.8) |
| Bile acid sequestrants | 0.5 (0.2–1.3) | 0.4 (0.2–1.2) |
| PCSK9 inhibitors | 0.02 (0.01–0.16) | 0.03 (0.01–0.15) |
HDL‐C indicates high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL‐C, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol; NHANES, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; and PCSK9, proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9.