J Korean Med Sci.  2012 Jan;27(1):58-63. 10.3346/jkms.2012.27.1.58.

Low Cholesterol is Associated with Mortality from Cardiovascular Diseases: A Dynamic Cohort Study in Korean Adults

• Bae JM
• Yang YJ
• Li ZM
• Ahn YO

• KMID: 1792980
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2012.27.1.58

Abstract

This study was conducted to evaluate the association of single serum total cholesterol (TC) measurement with cardiovascular diseases (CVD) deaths in Korean adults. The study subjects were taken from the multi-site collaborative dynamic prospective cohort for epidemiologic investigation on cancer risk in residents nearby nuclear power plants in Korea. A total of 12,740 adults aged 40 to 69 yr who underwent a mass screening examination were followed up from 1993 to 2008. Occurring CVD deaths were confirmed by the death certificates in the National Statistical Office, Korea. Groups with the lowest group having TC < 160 mg/dL as well as the highest group having >= 240 mg/dL were associated with higher CVD mortality in Cox proportional hazards analysis adjusting for age, sex, smoking and drinking status, body mass index, level of blood pressure, triglyceride and high density lipoprotein cholesterol. The distribution of adjusted hazard ratios showed the U-shaped curve. Based on the results of this study, caution should be taken in prescribing statins for primary prevention among people at low cardiovascular risk in Korean adults.

Keyword

Cholesterol; Cardiovascular Diseases; Mortality; Stroke; Cohort Studies

MeSH Terms

Adult
Age Factors
Aged
Alcohol Drinking
Blood Pressure
Body Mass Index
Cardiovascular Diseases/*blood/epidemiology/*mortality
Cholesterol/*blood
Cohort Studies
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Proportional Hazards Models
Prospective Studies
Republic of Korea/epidemiology
Risk Factors
Sex Factors
Smoking
Triglycerides/blood

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Distribution of total cholesterol levels in study participants.

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