National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

The goals of this component are: 1) to monitor the prevalence and trends in major cardiovascular conditions and overall risk factors in the U.S.; and 2) to evaluate prevention and treatment programs targeting cardiovascular disease in the U.S.

Blood lipid levels are the main elements of the cardiovascular disease laboratory in NHANES. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. The data will be used to monitor the status of hyperlipidemia and the success of the National Cholesterol Education Program.

Examined participants aged 6 years and older were eligible.

In this method a magnesium/dextran sulfate solution is first added to the specimen to form water-soluble complexes with non-HDL cholesterol fractions. These complexes are not reactive with the measuring reagents added in the second step. With addition of reagent 2, HDL-cholesterol esters are converted to HDL-cholesterol by PEG-cholesterol esterase. The HDL-cholesterol is acted upon by PEG-cholesterol oxidase, and the hydrogen peroxide produced from this reaction combines with 4-amino-antipyrine and HSDA under the action of peroxidase to form a purple/blue pigment that is measured photometrically at 600 nm (secondary wavelength = 700 nm). When the cholesterol measuring enzymes are modified with PEG, they are preferentially more reactive with HDL-cholesterol than the other cholesterol fractions. This is an endpoint reaction that is specific for HDL-cholesterol. This 3rd generation method differs from 2nd generation assays in the type of buffer used in the reagents, and the concentration of the reagent components. The basic reaction principle is unchanged.

Refer to the Laboratory Method Files section for a detailed description of the laboratory methods used.

There were no changes to the lab method, lab equipment, or lab site for this component in the NHANES 2015-2016 cycle.

HDL- Cholesterol (September 2017)

Serum samples were processed, stored, and shipped to the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN for analysis.

Detailed instructions on specimen collection and processing are discussed in the NHANES Laboratory Procedures Manual (LPM). Vials are stored under appropriate frozen (–30°C) conditions until they are shipped to University of Minnesota for testing.

The NHANES quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) protocols meet the 1988 Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act mandates. Detailed QA/QC instructions are discussed in the NHANES LPM.

Mobile Examination Centers (MECs)

Laboratory team performance is monitored using several techniques. NCHS and contract consultants use structured competency assessment evaluation during visits to evaluate both the quality of the laboratory work and the quality-control procedures. Each laboratory staff member is observed for equipment operation, specimen collection and preparation; testing procedures and constructive feedback are given to each staff member. Formal retraining sessions are conducted annually to ensure that required skill levels were maintained.

Analytical Laboratories

NHANES uses several methods to monitor the quality of the analyses performed by the contract laboratories. In the MEC, these methods include performing blind split samples collected on “dry run” sessions. In addition, contract laboratories randomly perform repeat testing on 2% of all specimens.

NCHS developed and distributed a quality control protocol for all the contract laboratories which outlined the use of Westgard rules (Westgard et al, 1981) when running NHANES specimens. Progress reports containing any problems encountered during shipping or receipt of specimens, summary statistics for each control pool, QC graphs, instrument calibration, reagents, and any special considerations are submitted to NCHS quarterly. The reports are reviewed for trends or shifts in the data. The laboratories are required to explain any identified areas of concern.

The data were reviewed. Incomplete data or improbable values were sent to the performing laboratory for confirmation.

One derived variable was created in this data file. The variable was created using the following formula:

LBDHDDSI

HDL-cholesterol in mg/dL (LBXHDD) was converted to mmol/L (LBDHDDSI) by multiplying by 0.02586.

Refer to the 2015-2016 Laboratory Data Overview for general information on NHANES laboratory data.

Demographic and Other Related Variables

The analysis of NHANES laboratory data must be conducted using the appropriate survey design and demographic variables. The NHANES 2015-2016 Demographics File contains demographic data, health indicators, and other related information collected during household interviews as well as the sample design variables. The recommended procedure for variance estimation requires use of stratum and PSU variables (SDMVSTRA and SDMVPSU, respectively) in the demographic data file.
The Fasting Questionnaire File includes auxiliary information such as fasting status, length of fast and the time of venipuncture.

These laboratory data files may be linked to the other NHANES data files using the unique survey participant identifier (i.e., SEQN).

Detection Limits

The detection limit was constant for the analyte in the data set. The variable prefixed LBX (ex., LBXHDD) provides the analytic result for that analyte.

The lower limit of detection (LLOD, in mg/dL) for HDL-cholesterol:

Exam sample weights should be used for analyses. Please refer to the NHANES Analytic Guidelines and the on-line NHANES Tutorial for further details on the use of sample weights and other analytic issues.