To determine whether the relationship between high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and coronary heart disease (CHD) is independent of the influence of other risk factors, Gordon et al analyzed the relation between HDL-C and CHD incidence (adjusting for age, blood pressure, smoking, body mass index, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol) in four American cardiovascular studies: the Framingham Heart Study (FHS), the Lipid Research Clinics Prevalence Mortality Follow-up Study (LRCF), the Lipid Research Clinics Coronary Primary Prevention Trial (CPPT), and the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial (MRFIT).¹ A 1-mg/dL increase in HDL-C was associated with a significant 2% decrease in CHD risk in men (FHS, CPPT, and MRFIT) and a 3% decrease in women (FHS). The regression coefficients for LRCF in this slide are based on CHD mortality because only fatal outcomes were documented in that study.

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