Agreement Between a Portable Cholesterol Device and Laboratory-Based Testing in Older Adults

Background:It is crucial to monitor blood lipid levels accurately in older adults to assess cardiovascular risk. Although several portable strip-based devices are commercially available, their accuracy has not been well established. Objective: To evaluate the agreement of the Mission Cholesterol device and standard laboratory method results, using samples from older adults. Methods: Forty-nine patients (42 females) with an average age of 70 ± 8 years were included. The participants were instructed to fast for 12 hours before undergoing venous and capillary blood sampling for lipid analysis (total cholesterol [TC], high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-C], low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [LDL-C], and triglyceride [TG] levels). The agreement between the Mission Cholesterol device and laboratory test results was assessed using the concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) and Bland–Altman plots. The accuracy levels were assessed based on the percentage bias recommended by the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP). Results: The TC measurement had a better accuracy level (bias = 10.91%; CCC = 0.89) than other lipid measurements. However, none of them met the NCEP’s acceptable standards for bias and concordance (CCC ≥ 0.90). Furthermore, the device demonstrated modest overall agreement in classifying lipid risk according to clinical reference values (agreement rates: TC, 67.3%; HDL-C, 65.3%; LDL-C, 49.0%; and TG, 61.2%). Conclusion: The Mission Cholesterol device exhibited insufficient agreement levels for effective lipid profile monitoring and screening in older adults.