Cholesterol fractions and heart disease mortality in older men

The importance of blood lipids in the risk of ischemic heart disease in older people is unclear; as a result, cholesterol-lowering drug therapy is not widely prescribed for older individuals without diagnosed cardiovascular disease. We conducted a study to determine the relationship between death from ischemic heart disease and the level of cholesterol, cholesterol fractions, and apolipoproteins. Results showed that the risk of death from ischemic heart disease was associated with total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B only for men whose cardiovascular disease had not been previously diagnosed; an inverse relationship was shown for men with previously diagnosed cardiovascular disease or history of statin use. The risks of ischemic heart disease were inversely associated with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and apolipoprotein A1 in men with and without cardiovascular disease.