The results of a survey show that one out of four adults in Taiwan might have hyperlipidemia, but it is relatively underdiagnosed in the nation, the Taiwan Society of Lipids and Atherosclerosis said yesterday.
Four of the 10 leading causes of death — heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, diabetes and hypertension — are associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), or hardening of the arteries due to plaque buildup, the group said, citing Ministry of Health and Welfare data for last year.
The ministry’s 2017-2020 National Health Interview Survey showed that one-quarter of people aged 18 or older in Taiwan have hyperlipidemia, which extrapolates to about 5 million people with the condition nationwide, the group said.
Photo: CNA
If high cholesterol goes untreated, plaque can accumulate in the blood vessels and cause ASCVD, it said.
Taiwan Society of Lipids and Atherosclerosis chairman Huang Po-hsun (黃柏勳), who is a cardiologist at Taipei Veterans General Hospital, said that hyperlipidemia is a risk factor of cardiovascular disease, but as symptoms of ASCVD usually do not arise until the narrowing becomes severe, many people are unaware of the condition and do not get an examination.
Taiwan Society of Lipids and Atherosclerosis secretary-general Liu Ping-yen (劉秉彥), director of National Cheng Kung University Hospital’s Department of Internal Medicine, said that the risk of developing heart disease is about three times higher in people with hyperlipidemia, which is defined as having too much “bad cholesterol” — low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) — in the blood.
Too much LDL-C can cause cholesterol to build up on artery walls and form plaque, causing the arteries to harden and narrow, increasing the risk of stroke and heart attack, Liu said.
However, the diagnosis rate of hyperlipidemia in Taiwan is estimated to be only about 52 percent, lower than 80 percent in Japan and 63 percent in South Korea, Huang said.
The diagnosis rate is especially low in young people, but the mortality rate of heart disease in young people is similar to that of elderly people, he said.
People should not wait until cardiovascular events occur to get treatment, but should instead get routine examinations to understand and control their blood cholesterol, seek medical attention if their blood cholesterol is too high and continue to receive treatment steadily to manage it, Huang said.
According to the 2022 Taiwan Lipid Guidelines for High-Risk Patients, while people should keep their LDL-C level below 130mg per deciliter (dl), people with diabetes or kidney disease should target a level below 100mg/dl, and high-risk people who have had a cardiovascular event should have a level below 70mg/dl, Liu said.
People should have their blood cholesterol levels measured every year and should seek medical assistance if the levels are abnormal, he said.
Some people have the misconception that taking drugs is bad for the body, but there are now many options to manage hyperlipidemia, so they can discuss with their doctor which method is best for them, instead of trying folk remedies, he added.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
A magnitude 4.9 earthquake struck off Tainan at 11:47am today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The hypocenter was 32.3km northeast of Tainan City Hall at a depth of 7.3km, CWA data showed. The intensity of the quake, which gauges the actual effect of a seismic event, measured 4 in Tainan and Chiayi County on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the data showed. The quake had an intensity of 3 in Chiayi City and County, and Yunlin County, while it was measured as 2 in Kaohsiung, Nantou County, Changhua County, Taitung County and offshore Penghu County, the data showed. There were no immediate reports of
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated