Sardinia , a land historically associated with longevity and the presence of numerous centenarians, is today facing a significantly worsening health trend: overweight, obesity and dyslipidemia are on the rise and now affect hundreds of thousands of citizens, with an increasingly significant impact on the regional healthcare system.
This is what emerged from the conference "Dyslipidemia and Obesity: Two Faces of Cardiometabolic Risk," promoted by the Italian Society of Internal Medicine (SIMI) , which in Sassari brought together internists, specialists, and general practitioners from various centers on the island to take stock of diagnosis, prevention, and new therapeutic opportunities.
In the University Hospital of Sassari alone, it was emphasized, over 1,000 new patients with dyslipidemia or high cardiovascular risk are admitted each year. It is estimated that in Sardinia, one in four people aged 35-49 has high cholesterol levels, a figure that rises to nearly one in two people over 50 (source: Istituto Superiore di Sanità). In Sardinia, there is also a higher frequency of familial hypercholesterolemia, which is caused by genetic factors.
Furthermore, "according to the most recent data from the Ministry of Health's PASSI surveillance system (2023-2024), an estimated 600,000 people on the island are overweight (33% of the population) and approximately 160,000 are obese (about 8-9%). These numbers, while keeping Sardinia slightly below the national average (about 2 percentage points), highlight a growing trend that worries specialists."
The phenomenon affects all age groups, including pediatrics: approximately 25% of children and adolescents are overweight or obese (source: SardegnaSalute), highlighting a structural problem that will continue to worsen in the years to come, making a structured prevention and management strategy increasingly urgent. Particularly relevant in the regional context is the link with diabetes, a highly prevalent disease in Sardinia and often closely linked to excess weight.
