Evaluation of a Screening Test for Hyperlipidemia

A simple test that requires only minutes and is designed to indicate whether triglyceride or cholesterol levels or both are elevated in serum was applied to 502 fresh serum specimens. Quantitative determinations of total cholesterol and triglycerides were also obtained. Using arbitrary criteria to define hypertriglyceridemia (triglyceride level > 150 mg/100 ml) and hypercholesterolemia (cholesterol level > 300 mg/100 ml) the test yields a rate of 3.1% false-negative results and a 20.7% rate of false-positive results. This degree of accuracy could reduce the number of quantitative lipid analyses done for screening purposes in a proportion much greater than the inherent error of the test. (JAMA228:589-592, 1974)