[Lipoproteins as coronary risk or non-risk indicators in elderly people]

Lipid and apolipoprotein (apo) levels were investigated in 98 (68 female, 30 male) subjects older than 85 years and 86 (59 female, 27 male) subjects aged 65-75 years. The mean cholesterol level of the long-lived persons who were free from overt degenerative arterial disease was 5.2 mmol/l and ranged markedly below the mean level of the population. Comparing both age groups, the triglyceride level of the high-age subjects was at 0.3 mmol/l, significantly lower; HDL-cholesterol and apo A-I at 0.15 mmol/l or 0.3 g/l were higher. Cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and apo B only tended to be lower in the higher age. Subjects suffering from degenerative arterial disease (circulatory disturbance, hypertonia, diabetes mellitus), especially the long-lived group, had a more marked unfavorable lipoprotein profile. Subjects over 85 years (13%) had markedly less disturbance in lipoprotein metabolism of high atherogenic potency (hyper-beta-, hypo-alpha-lipoproteinemia) than did subjects 65-75 years old (23%). Hypertriglyceridemia is with 38% or rather 21% very frequent and seems to be of less atherogenic potency. Hyper-alpha-lipoproteinemia as anti-risk factor for coronary heart diseases was established more frequently in the long-lived group with 13% in comparison to 3.5% in those 65-75 years of age.