[Tracking the changes in the HDL cholesterol levels at different time intervals after acute myocardial infraction]

Low HDL cholesterol level in the blood increases the risk of unwanted coronary events in patients with verified CAD, which can be considerably decreased by appropriate and on-time application of pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic therapeutical measures. Numerous studies have shown that the level of the serum lipids, measured in the first 24 hours of the acute myocardial infarction, in fact is the basal lipid level, which is liable to changes immediately after the event, and gets back to its initial (basal) value within the next 6-12 weeks. In order to confirm if there are changes in the lipid profile and what they look like, particularly the HDL cholesterol in the blood, in 230 middle aged patients (59.87 +/- 13 years old), mostly males (66.5%) with ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI), a follow-up of the HDL cholesterol level was performed, taken from the vein blood and determined by standard enzymatic methods at different time intervals after the actual event (24 hours, 3-7 days, 10-14 days, 30-60 days, 60-90-days) was performed. The results acquired showed that the patients with STEMI had a lower initial HDL cholesterol level, which showed a tendency to decrease three days after the actual event, and to be gradually "normalized" after 60-90 days, i.e. not only turning back the HDL cholesterol values to the initial level, but their overcoming too. It is interesting to mention, that the average value of HDL cholesterol level in the blood, checked after 60-90 days after the actual event, is overcoming that basal value in a positive sense, but it was further on higher than the desired aim of 40 mg/dl (1.03 mmol/l). From the results of our follow-ups, we can conclude that the optimal time for determining the HDL cholesterol level in the blood in patients with STEMI, are the first 24 hours of the actual event, since in the first 24 hours there is a relevant decrease of the HDL cholesterol level in the blood. The values of the lipid profile acquired at that period, should be considered as basal.