This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Go to /pro/cpd-dashboard page

This page is worth 0.05 CPD credits. CPD dashboard

Go to /account/subscription-details page

This page is worth 0.05 CPD credits. Upgrade to Pro

HDL and risk of cardiovascular (CV) disease (CVD)

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Authoring team

  • high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease
  • there is evidence that there is an inverse relationship between serum HDL-C and risk of coronary artery disease (1,2,3)
    • for every 1% decrease in HDL-C there is an associated 2-3% increase in risk of coronary artery disease - this is independent of concentrations of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and triglycerides (4)
    • the Veteran Affairs High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Intervention Trial (VA-HIT) showed that, in patients with desirable levels of LDL-C, increasing HDL-C levels by 6% led to a relative reduction in the combined outcome of death from coronary artery disease, non-fatal myocardial infarction and confirmed stroke
  • one of the main mechanisms by which HDL-C is thought to protect against atherosclerosis is reverse transport - in this process excess cholesterol is transported via HDL-C from the peripheral tissues to the liver, and then excreted after conversion to bile acids or directly

Reference:

  1. Ann Epidemiol. 1992 Jan-Mar; 2(1-2): 23-8.
  2. Arteriosclerosis. 1988 May-Jun; 8(3): 207-11.
  3. Atherosclerosis. 1996 Jul; 124 Suppl: S11-20.
  4. Circulation. 1989 Jan; 79(1): 8-15.

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.