Performance of commercially-available cholesterol self-tests.

BACKGROUND

Hypercholesterolemia (plasma cholesterol concentration ≥5.2 mmol/L) is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and stroke. Many different cholesterol self-tests are readily available at general stores, pharmacies and web shops. However, there is limited information on their analytical and diagnostic performance.

METHODS

We included 62 adult patients who required a lipid panel measurement (cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), triglycerides and LDL) for routine care. The performance of five different cholesterol self-tests, three quantitative meters (, and ) and two semi-quantitative strip tests ( and ), was assessed according to the manufacturers' protocol.

RESULTS

The average plasma cholesterol concentration was 5.2 ± 1.2 mmol/L. The mean absolute relative difference (MARD) of the five cholesterol self-tests ranged from 6 ± 5% () to 20 ± 12% (). The cholesterol meter showed the best diagnostic performance with a 92% sensitivity and 89% specificity. The and are able to measure HDL concentrations and can thus provide a cholesterol:HDL ratio. The Passing-Bablok regression analyses for the ratio showed poor performance in both self-tests (: y = 1.62x-1.20; : y = 0.61x + 1.75). The is unable to measure the plasma high-density lipoprotein concentration.Conclusions/interpretation: The cholesterol meter (Roche) had excellent diagnostic and analytic performance. However, several of the commercially-available self-tests had considerably poor accuracy and diagnostic performance and therefore do not meet the required qualifications, potentially leading to erroneous results. Better regulation, standardization and harmonization of cholesterol self-tests is warranted.