A STUDY OF SERUM BETA LIPOPROTEIN AND TOTAL CHOLESTEROL VARIABILITY AND ITS RELATION TO AGE AND SERUM LEVEL IN ADULT HUMAN SUBJECTS 1

Abstract

The total, technical and biologic variability of the Sfl2-20, Sf21-35 and Sf35-100 serum beta lipoproteins as detd. in the ultracentrifuge by the method of Gofman, et al., and of total cholesterol detd. chemically by the method of Abell, et al., was studied in 68 adult males, for the most part institutionalized for indigency, not illness, representing ages from 26 to 92 years with a wide range of lipoprotein levels in each of 4 age categories. Blood specimens were drawn twice weekly for 10 weeks. Analyses were performed on duplicate coded aliquots of serum in over half the cases. There was no change in variability related directly to age but a rise was observed in technical error with mean level for all fractions including cholesterol and a linear relationship of total and biologic variation to a mean level for lipoproteins. Estimates were made of sample size necessary to provide an avg. level of any desired probability within any specified distance of the true mean.