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Updated: Aug 19, 2026
Cell-free Biochemical Fluorometric Enzymatic Assay for High-throughput Measurement of Lipid Peroxidation in High Density Lipoprotein
Published on: October 12, 2017
Relation of high-density lipoproteins to coronary artery disease
Insights
Low levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol are linked to coronary heart disease risk. However, evidence does not confirm low HDL cholesterol causally contributes to atherosclerosis development.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Lipid Metabolism
- Atherosclerosis Research
Background:
- Low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol concentrations are a known characteristic of patients with coronary heart disease.
- HDL cholesterol levels, especially the HDL2 subclass, are lower in individuals with severe coronary atherosclerosis compared to those with minimal disease.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between HDL cholesterol levels and coronary heart disease.
- To evaluate the predictive power of low HDL cholesterol for coronary heart disease risk.
Main Methods:
- Review of epidemiological data and clinical trial findings.
- Analysis of studies correlating HDL cholesterol levels with coronary atherosclerosis severity.
Main Results:
- Low HDL cholesterol is a strong discriminator between patients with and without coronary heart disease.
- Longitudinal studies confirm low HDL cholesterol is predictive of high coronary heart disease risk, with some exceptions.
- No experimental or clinical trial evidence establishes a causal role for low HDL levels in atherogenesis.
Conclusions:
- While epidemiologic associations are strong, the causal role of low HDL cholesterol in atherogenesis remains unproven.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the precise relationship between HDL cholesterol and the development of coronary heart disease.
Abstract:
Low mean concentrations of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol have long been recognized as a characteristic of patients with coronary heart disease, and the measurement of this fraction is a relatively strong discriminator between patients with coronary heart disease and those without. When subjects are ranked by the severity of coronary atherosclerosis determined angiographically, levels of HDL cholesterol, particularly of its HDL2 subclass, are consistently lower in subjects with extensive disease than in those with minimal atheroma. HDL cholesterol is derived from a number of sources, mobilization from peripheral tissues being but one. Generally, longitudinal studies have confirmed that a low HDL cholesterol level is potently and independently predictive of a high risk of coronary heart disease, one exception being a study of subjects with hypercholesterolemia. Despite the strength of these epidemiologic associations, there is no evidence from experimental studies or clinical trials to establish that low HDL levels are causally important in atherogenesis.
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