Report sets out economic and public health case for stronger LDL cholesterol control

With country level analysis from 9 high-income countries, The Burden of LDL-Cholesterol Driven Cardiovascular Diseases, published by the Office of Health Economics (with support from MSD) provides a clear rationale for investment in diagnosis and management of key cardiovascular risk factors as a means to accelerate progress on stroke prevention.

Key findings

• ASCVD accounts for 261 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) globally
• Up to one third of this burden is attributable to elevated LDL cholesterol
• Moderately elevated LDL-C levels contribute more to total costs than higher-risk categories
• Across nine countries studied, total annual costs range from $7.5 billion (Netherlands) to $434 billion (US)

Key priorities for health systems

• A greater focus on population-level prevention, including those at moderate risk
• Integration of cardiovascular prevention into national stroke and NCD strategies
• Earlier and broader identification of raised cholesterol
• Consistent use of evidence-based lipid-lowering therapies