Lipid parameters and cardiovascular risks in elderly patients hospitalized for ischemic cardiopathy. A case-control study]

In order to evaluate whether and to what extent elevated blood lipid concentrations and clinical expressions of coronary heart disease (CHD) are associated in the elderly, we studied the risk of CHD (myocardial infarction and angina pectoris) in a population of elderly hospitalized patients (210 subjects, 126 men and 84 women, average age 76 +/- 6 years) exposed to risk factors. 210 patients, free from current and previous cardiovascular diseases, age and sex matched, were recruited as the control group. Advanced senile decline, severe hepatic or renal failure and malignancies were considered exclusion criteria for both groups. The following dichotomic variables (familial history of CHD, cigarette smoking, clinical history of arterial hypertension or diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceridemia) and continuous variables (total, LDL and HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, total/HDL cholesterol ratio, body mass index (BMI), years of exposure to risk factors) were considered. Using a stepwise multiple logistic regression forward method, the following variables resulted significantly associated with the risk of CHD: total/HDL cholesterol ratio (OR 1,89), BMI (OR 1,04), period of hypertension (OR 1,04) and cigarette smoke exposure (OR 1,007). We conclude that in the elderly the total/HDL cholesterol ratio can be a more predictive and reliable index of coronary risk than blood total cholesterol concentration.