Serum Lipids and Incidence of Coronary Heart Disease

Abstract

Background The association of serum lipids with coronary heart disease has been studied extensively in middle-aged men and, to a lesser extent, in similar women. Less well defined are lipid variables predictive of CHD in individuals of age ≥60 years. Methods and Results The Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program recruited 4736 persons (mean age, 72 years; 14% were black; and 43% were men). Mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures were 170 and 77 mm Hg, respectively. Baseline mean total cholesterol was 6.11 mmol/L (236 mg/dL); HDL cholesterol, 1.39 mmol/L (54 mg/dL); and non-HDL cholesterol, 4.72 mmol/L (182 mg/dL). Triglyceride levels were 1.62 mmol/L (144 mg/dL) for fasting participants and 1.78 mmol/L for the total group. LDL cholesterol, estimated in fasting samples with triglycerides of Conclusions The results of this study support the concept that serum lipids are CHD risk factors in older Americans.