Serum cholesterol as a prognostic factor after myocardial infarction: the Framingham Study.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the relation between serum cholesterol levels and the long-term risk for reinfarction, death from coronary heart disease, and all-cause mortality in persons who recover from myocardial infarction.


METHODS
Prospective, longitudinal study.


METHODS
A geographically defined population-based cohort of adults participating in the Framingham Heart Study.


METHODS
Men (n = 260) and women (n = 114), 33 to 88 years of age (mean age, 62 years), who had a history of myocardial infarction.


METHODS
A complete physical examination, including electrocardiographic evaluation, blood pressure measurement, height and weight measurements, determination of smoking habits, and casual determinations of blood glucose and serum cholesterol, was done approximately 1 year after recovery from initial myocardial infarction. Patients were followed after infarction for the occurrence of reinfarction or death (mean follow-up, 10.5 years; range, 0.8 to 31.6 years).


RESULTS
The mean cholesterol level after infarction was 5.21 mmol/L (242.8 mg/dL); 20% of patients had levels below 5.17 mmol/L (200 mg/dL), and 22% had levels of 7.11 mmol/L (275 mg/dL) or more. Compared with patients who had cholesterol levels below 5.17 mmol/L, patients with levels of 7.11 mmol/L or more were at increased risk for reinfarction (relative risk, 3.8; 95% Cl, 1.6 to 8.7), death from coronary heart disease (relative risk, 2.6; Cl, 1.4 to 4.8), and all-cause mortality (relative risk, 1.9; Cl, 1.2 to 2.9) based on multivariate Cox regression analyses adjusted for other coronary risk factors. Intermediate cholesterol levels (5.17 mmol/L to 7.11 mmol/L) were generally not associated with increased risk. The association between elevated serum cholesterol and increased risk was strongest in men; however, elevated cholesterol levels were found to be most strongly related to death from coronary disease and to all-cause mortality in persons who were 65 years of age or more.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients who have recovered from a myocardial infarction and who have high cholesterol levels are at an increased long-term risk for reinfarction, death from coronary heart disease, and all-cause mortality. Our results confirm the prognostic value of cholesterol levels measured after myocardial infarction and support the role of lipid management in this population.
University of California, College of Medicine, Irvine.
N D
ND
Wong
P W
PW
Wilson
W B
WB
Kannel
D000328:Adult; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000097:blood* / Q000401:mortality; D011379:Prognosis; D016016:Proportional Hazards Models; D012008:Recurrence; D012307:Risk Factors
D002784:Cholesterol