ABSTRACT
Objectives: To explore the trends of serum total cholesterol (TC) among Chinese adult cohorts from 1998 to 2015. Methods: The subjects of this study came from China Multicenter Collaborative Study of Cardiovascular Epidemiology and International Collaborative Study of Cardiovascular Disease in Asia. The baseline investigations were completed during 1998-2001, and the two follow-ups were conducted during 2007-2008 and 2013-2015, respectively. A total of 9 477 participants aged 35-74 years with complete serum TC data from three surveys were included in this study. Analysis on variance of data regarding repeated measurements were used to investigate the variation of serum TC in different subgroups. The serum TC levels were represented by mean (standard errors). Results: During 1998-2015, the mean level of serum TC of all participants significantly elevated from 4.81(0.01) mmol/L to 4.91(0.01) mmol/L, and to 4.98(0.01) mmol/L, growth rates of which were 2.08% and 3.53% in the first and second follow-up, respectively (Ptrend<0.001), especially for females. The fastest growth was noted in the group of young women aged 35-45 years over time, with a growth rate of 11.43%. No such a significant change in the male group during follow-up. The serum TC level and its growth rate in urban residents was significantly higher than those in rural residents. Conclusions: Longitudinal data demonstrated that the mean serum TC level among Chinese adults was continuously increased during 1998~2015. Prevention strategy for hypercholesterolemia should focus more on young women and urban residents.