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HDL Still Best Indicator of Coronary Heart Disease Risk
08/16/07
Information for Caregivers, Diagnosis, Research, General
The ratio between the cumulative level of cholesterol and good (HDL)
cholesterol is the best indicator of coronary heart disease
events, according to a study published in The Journal of the American
Medical Association.
The study analyzed three lipid ratios (total cholesterol to HDL, LDL to HDL, and apolipoprotein A-I to apolipoprotein B) of 3,322 middle-aged white participants. Researchers reviewed each participant's medical history and recorded the first incidence of coronary heart disease event. More than half the participants were women.
After an average follow-up of 15 years, 291 participants, including 198 men, developed coronary heart disease. Risk ratios were most similar between the apolipoprotein A-I to apolipoprotein B ratio and the total cholesterol to HDL ratio. However, the latter is still the most practical and useful in predicting coronary heart disease events. The authors concluded that when total cholesterol and HDL measurements are available, other measurements are not necessary.
JAMA. 2007;298:715.
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