Very high HDL cholesterol ‘may be risky’ in patients with heart disease
There is a point beyond which HDL cholesterol is no longer protective, cardiologists warn
Very high levels of HDL cholesterol are paradoxically associated with a near twofold greater mortality risk in patients with coronary artery disease, according to new research.
The U-shaped association suggests that HDL cholesterol levels above 2.0mmol/L (80mg/dL) are not necessarily protective in this clinical setting, US cardiologists say.
Researchers from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia drew upon data from two large secondary prevention samples — 14,500 adults from the UK Biobank and 5500 individuals from the Emory Cardiovascular Biobank (mean ages 62 and 64, respectively).
Participants in the male-majority cohorts all had coronary artery disease and were followed for up to nine years.
