title: Non-HDL cholesterol predicts coronary heart disease in primary prevention: findings from an Italian 40-69 year-old cohort in general practice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Non-HDL cholesterol is now recommended as an index of risk associated with combined dyslipidemia, and it has also been found useful in predicting coronary heart disease (CHD) risk in patients with diabetes. We studied the association between known CHD risk factors, enclosed non-HDL cholesterol, and a "high CHD risk condition", i.e. a "5-years CHD risk >15%" in general practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  We studied 4,085 40-69 year-old diabetic (no. 489) and non-diabetic (no. 3,596) individuals from an opportunistic cohort. Cross-sectional descriptive statistics, and age- and gender-adjusted multiple logistic exponential betas have been calculated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  About 12% of the participants had diabetes. Age- and gender-adjusted comparison showed that all the study variables were significantly worse in diabetic vs. non-diabetic individuals (except cigarette smoking, total blood cholesterol and the ratio of total to HDL cholesterol). They had a mean "5-year CHD-risk" significantly higher than non-diabetic individuals (18.8+/-11.9% vs 7.5+/-6.9%, P<0.01), and a four-fold prevalence of "5-years CHD risk >15%" (55.4% vs 11.1%, P<0.01). As to diabetic individuals, the study variables associated to a "high CHD risk condition" were cigarette smoking, systolic blood pressure, and non-HDL blood cholesterol levels. As to non-diabetic individuals cigarette smoking, systolic blood pressure, and HDL (inversely) and non-HDL blood cholesterol levels were associated to a "high CHD risk condition".
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Non-HDL cholesterol--and cigarette smoking and systolic blood pressure--strongly predicted a "high CHD risk condition" both in diabetic and non-diabetic individuals.
authors.affiliation: Local Health Plan for Cardiovascular Disease, Local Health Unit, Modena, Italy. a.ciardullo@ausl.mo.it
authors.forename: Anna V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Ciardullo
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Azzolini
authors.forename: Massimo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bevini
authors.forename: Tiziano
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cadioli
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Malavasi
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morellini
authors.forename: M Monica
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Daghio
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Guidetti
authors.forename: Manuela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lorenzetti
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Carapezzi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bacchelli
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bellodi
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Beltrami
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Carretti
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Di Fiore
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Feltri
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Frigani
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gaglianò
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gazzani
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Loscalzo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Losi
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mantovani
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Pavarotti
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Prandi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ribaldi
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rosselli
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tirelli
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Veratti
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Vincenzi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005194:Family Practice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D008076:Cholesterol, HDL