National Lipid Day

Floor Speech

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Mrs. BEATTY. Mr. Speaker, as co-Chair of the Congressional Heart and Stroke Coalition, I want to recognize May 10th as National Lipid Day. More than 71 million adults have high levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), which increases their risk of developing heart disease--one of the leading causes of death in the United States. LDL-C accumulation in the arteries decreases the flow of blood and can deprive the heart or brain from an adequate supply of oxygen-rich blood.

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), which can lead to a heart attack or stroke, is responsible for nearly 85 percent of cardiovascular deaths. More than 200 studies with over 2,000,000 patients have broadly established that elevated LDL-C levels unequivocally cause ASCVD.

Any comprehensive effort to reduce the number of adverse heart and stroke events across the country must be centered on cardiovascular disease prevention. We must also ensure that those who have already suffered a cardiac event do not suffer another. New data shows that there is a gap in care for Medicare beneficiaries who have had a heart attack. Less than 30 percent of Medicare Fee-for-Service beneficiaries' LDL-C levels were tested in the 90 days after being hospitalized due to a heart attack, despite clinical guidelines recommending earlier and more frequent LDL-C testing to monitor and manage one's cholesterol levels. In fact, a third of those survivors did not receive an LDL-C test in the full year following their heart attack. The importance of timely LDL-C testing cannot be understated. Patients who fail to reach their LDL-C level goals are at a 44 percent higher risk of experiencing an adverse cardiac event. The lack of guideline-directed care represents a missed opportunity to prevent further adverse events.

According to an article published by the American Heart Association, Black Americans and other people of color suffered a disproportionately higher increase in cardiovascular disease-related deaths during the pandemic than their white counterparts. Black Americans experienced a 20 percent increase in cardiovascular disease-related deaths during the pandemic, compared to just a 2 percent increase among white Americans in the same timeframe. A person's race or ethnicity should not put them at a higher risk of incurring a cardiac event, yet this data shows striking disparities exist among racial and ethnic groups. All Americans deserve quality cardiovascular care with a focus on prevention and getting access to innovative treatments when needed. Special attention should be focused on the disparities in outcomes that occur among racial and ethnic groups.

On National Lipid Day, we must recognize the importance of routine lipid screening and management as a critical piece of the puzzle while we work to significantly reduce the frequency of cardiac events.

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