NEWS & EVENTS

Factors Converging to Move Cholesterol Monitoring Out of the Lab

New Survey by Greystone Associates Examines Opportunities for Near-Patient and Self-Testing

 (Amherst, NH) – In spite of numerous healthcare initiatives, coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke continue to be leading causes of mortality and morbidity in most industrialized countries. According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control, 12.9 million people suffer from CHD in the U.S. alone.

Current efforts to reduce the impact of coronary heart disease and stroke focus on the identification of genetic and environmental risk factors, patient education, and monitoring cholesterol levels. The vast majority of cholesterol testing is now performed in laboratories based on samples taken in physician offices or similar healthcare settings. But this will change. The convergence of improved technologies, patient demographics and managed care cost initiatives will drive a shift in cholesterol testing from laboratories and toward the point-of-care and patient homes.

For self-testing, the key enabler of this shift will be technological advances that will provide accurate readings in a format that consumers can understand, clearly indicating when a follow-up visit to a caregiver is needed. Systems that allow patients to share readings with physicians electronically have already been introduced. Ultimately, the success of this self-test market will rely on monitors that can provide accurate values for the various classes of lipids that are associated with cardiovascular risk, presenting them to the patient in the proper context.

 Source: Greystone Associates