What Experts Are Saying About Health Trends™

About the principal findings of the Quest Diagnostics Health Trends™ Heart Health Report:

“The takeaway is that cholesterol levels in this country are still high, but are improving. We are seeing a downward trend in cholesterol because of changes in dietary fat and because of treatment. But, we still have a long way to go.”

“The implication of the data is that in office practice, doctors aren’t giving women the same treatment and screening for cardiovascular disease as men. Campaigns such as the [National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute’s] “red dress” heart disease awareness campaign for women are still very much needed.”

About the uniqueness of Quest Diagnostics Health Trends™ compared with other heart health studies:

“The compilation of this large amount of lipid testing data represents an ambitious effort to assemble information that is potentially related to the health of Americans over the past few years of laboratory testing by Quest Diagnostics…. However, there are limitations of the data that affect interpretation.”

“The Quest Diagnostics data are unique in the large, national scope, and the timeliness of having up-to-date information. The data reflects what is happening in the general population. In addition, the Quest Diagnostics data complements existing studies by providing more data, more timely data and national data. This information is remarkably consistent with more conventional studies, such as the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), but reflects orders by physicians rather than research design.”

About what Quest Diagnostics Health Trends™ indicates about gender differences in LDL cholesterol levels:

“These data highlight a potentially important gender gap in cardiovascular disease risk among patients with access to medical care. The finding underscores the need to develop system approaches to improve the application of evidence-based guidelines and quality of care for both men and women.”

“The concept of a treatment intensity gap between men and women for heart disease has been described and discussed for 15 years. Some studies show improvement in screening and diagnosis of cardiovascular disease in women, that the gap has narrowed or disappeared. The Quest Diagnostics database, which is based on office practice, shows that there could still be a treatment gap.”