Cholesterol Level Linked to Death After Coronary Intervention

After percutaneous coronary intervention, very low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol linked to nearly double risk of death

10 april 2009-- Low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol were associated with higher one-year mortality in patients following percutaneous coronary intervention, according to research published in the April 1 issue of the American Journal of Cardiology.

Ziyad B. Ghazzal, M.D., of Emory University in Atlanta, and colleagues analyzed data from 4,088 patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention from 2001 to 2004. The researchers divided patients into approximate HDL quartiles: very low, less than 35 mg/dL; low, 35 to 40 mg/dL; medium, 41 to 47 mg/dL; and high, 48 to 120 mg/dL.

One-year mortality was nearly twice as high in those with the lowest HDL compared to the other groups (6.5 percent versus 3.5 percent), the investigators found. Revascularization was also higher in the lowest HDL group compared to the others (25.4 percent versus 21.3 percent). In multivariable analysis, very low HDL remained a predictor of one-year mortality (hazard ratio, 1.9), the researchers report.

"Patients with low levels of HDL cholesterol are at an increased risk of developing coronary artery disease. Epidemiologic studies have established an independent inverse association between HDL cholesterol levels and coronary artery disease event rates. For a 1-mg/dL increase in HDL cholesterol levels, coronary artery disease risk decreases by 2 percent to 3 percent. An association between HDL cholesterol and mortality has also been described," the authors write.

Abstract
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