title: Is a high serum cholesterol level associated with longer survival in elderly hypertensives?
abstract: The relationship between serum total cholesterol, measured at randomization, and mortality was investigated in 822 patients, who were followed for an average of 3.1 years in a double-blind trial, conducted by the European Working Party on High Blood Pressure in the Elderly. Serum cholesterol, measured at randomization, was 0.54 mmol/l higher in women than in men, and declined with increasing age in both men (0.028 mmol/l per year) and women (0.036 mmol/l per year). During follow-up on randomized treatment, cholesterol fell by a similar amount with placebo (0.11 mmol/l per year) and with active treatment (0.14 mmol/l per year). Active treatment consisted of hydrochlorothiazide (25-50 mg/day) plus triamterene (50-100 mg/day) with the addition of alpha-methyldopa (0.5-2.0 g/day) in one-third of the patients. Serum total cholesterol, measured at randomization, was independently and inversely correlated with total (P = 0.03), non-cardiovascular (P = 0.03) and cancer (P = 0.04) mortality during follow-up on double-blind treatment. Total and non-cardiovascular mortality were also negatively correlated with haemoglobin and body weight at randomization.
authors.affiliation: Klinisch Laboratorium Hypertensie, Inwendige Geneeskunde-Cardiologie, U.Z. Gasthuisberg, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Staessen
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Amery
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Birkenhäger
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bulpitt
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Clement
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: de Leeuw
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Deruyttere
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Schaepdryver
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dollery
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fagard
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006852:Hydrochlorothiazide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality*; D008297:Male; D008750:Methyldopa / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008875:Middle Aged; D013997:Time Factors; D014223:Triamterene / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D006852:Hydrochlorothiazide; D008750:Methyldopa; D002784:Cholesterol; D014223:Triamterene