Abstract
Objectives To identify the source and reasons for referring dyslipidemic patients to Lipid Units (LU) in routine clinical practice. Methods Data on first visits related to dyslipidemia in 10 LU in Catalonia (Spain) during a 1-month period were gathered. Results A total of 146 patients (mean age 48±23 years; 53.8% men) were studied. The most frequent lipid disorder motivating patient referral was hypercholesterolemia (56%), followed by mixed dyslipidemia (36%). The main reason for referral was diagnosis of dyslipidemia in 114 patients (78%) and therapeutic advice in 32 patients (22%). The most common final diagnosis was genetic dyslipidemia, mainly heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (68%). Twenty patients (14%) had previous ischemic disease. Eighty patients (55%) were referred from the primary care setting. Conclusions Diagnosis of genetic hyperlipidemia is the most frequent reason for referral to the LU in the hospital setting. Although hypercholesterolemia is the most frequent lipid disorder, a high percentage of referred patients had mixed hyperlipidemia. The number of patients with dyslipidemias referred to specialized units in our autonomous region remains small.
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