Accuracy analysis of cholesterol analyzer in detecting dyslipidemia in truck drivers

Lipids. 2024 Dec 17. doi: 10.1002/lipd.12427. Online ahead of print.

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Rapid diagnostic tools are crucial for timely intervention, especially in high-risk groups such as truck drivers. In Brazil, the Mission® test uniquely offers test strips for simultaneous measurement of total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), triglycerides (TG), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). This study evaluates the accuracy of the Mission® analyzer compared to laboratory testing for HDL-C, TG, and TC in truck drivers. A blinded cross-sectional study was conducted among truck drivers aged 30-64 in Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil. Spearman correlation, linear regression, and the Bland-Altman analyses were employed to compare lipid profile results between the Mission® analyzer and laboratory methods. A total of 108 samples were analyzed. For HDL, the Mission® analyzer showed a sensitivity of 0.88, a specificity of 0.67, and an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.77 (95% CI: 0.68-0.86). For TG, sensitivity and specificity were 0.96 and 0.98, respectively, with an AUC of 0.97 (95% CI: 0.93-1.0). For TC, the AUC was 0.87 (95% CI: 0.79-0.95). Bland-Altman analysis revealed biases of -4.5 for HDL, 12.4 for TC, and -42.8 for TG between Mission® and laboratory results. The Mission® analyzer demonstrates good accuracy for rapid dyslipidemia diagnosis and Framingham Global Risk Score calculation. It is a valuable tool for initial screening and risk assessment, confirmation with laboratory testing is recommended for definitive diagnosis and treatment planning.

Keywords: blood; cholesterol; hyperlipidemias; point‐of‐care testing; truck drivers.