USPSTF: No Evidence For Lipid Screening In Young Adults

There is no available evidence that directly assesses the benefits and harms of lipid screening for young adults aged 21 to 39, according to the results of a systematic review.

The review was conducted in order to update the 2008 US Preventive Services Task Force review on dyslipidemia screening in young adults, which led to recommendations that men aged 20 to 35 and women aged 20 to 45 who had coronary heart disease risk factors should undergo lipid screening. The recommendations were based on evidence indicating that some of these adults could have higher 10-year cardiovascular risk due in part to their lipid levels.
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The researchers searched 3 online databases and reference lists for randomized, controlled trials, cohort studies, and case-control studies that focused on screening for or treatment of asymptomatic dyslipidemia in young adults (defined as adults aged 21 to 39).

Although the investigators planned to assess the quality of each study, their database search yielded no results.

No study evaluated the effects of lipid screening vs no screening, treatment vs no treatment, or delayed vs earlier treatment on clinical outcomes in young adults, or evaluated the outcomes of alternative screening strategies such as targeted screening of young adults at a higher risk of coronary heart disease.

“Direct evidence on the benefits and harms of screening for or treatment of dyslipidemia in younger adults remains unavailable,” the authors concluded. “Estimating the potential effects of screening for dyslipidemia in this population requires extrapolation from studies performed in older adults.”

—Amanda Balbi

Reference:

Chou R, Dana T, Blazina I, Daeges M, Bougatsos C, Jeanne TL. Screening for dyslipidemia in younger adults: a systematic review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force [published online August 9, 2016]. Ann Intern Med. doi:10.7326/M16-0946.