Discordance between remnant cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol predicts cardiovascular disease: the...

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Lipid Metabolism
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Remnant cholesterol (RC) is increasingly recognized as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD).
• The relationship between discordant levels of RC and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and CVD risk requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between remnant cholesterol (RC) levels and cardiovascular disease (CVD).
• To determine the association of discordance between RC and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) with CVD risk.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Kailuan study, including 96,769 participants.
• Calculated RC as non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol minus LDL-C.
• Employed Cox proportional hazard models to analyze the association of RC and RC-LDL-C discordance with CVD events.

Main Results:

• Higher RC levels were significantly associated with increased CVD risk (HR 1.10).
• Discordantly high RC, particularly with low LDL-C, showed significantly elevated risks for CVD, myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke.
• The group with low LDL-C and high RC had a 33% higher incidence of CVD compared to the low LDL-C/low RC group.

Conclusions:

• Elevated remnant cholesterol (RC) and its discordance with LDL-C are significant risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke.
• These findings highlight the clinical importance of assessing residual risk associated with RC.