High Density Lipoprotein As a Protective Factor Against Coronary Heart Disease The Framingham Study

TAVIA

GORDON

WILLIAM

P. CASTELLI,

MARTHANA

M.D.

C. HJORTLAND,

WILLIAM

B. KANNEL,

THOMAS

R. DAWBER.

Ph.D.

M.D. M.D.

Bethesda,Maryland

From the Framingham Heart Disease Epidemiology Study, National Heart, Lung and Blood Instiie. Bethesda, Maryland. Requests for reprints should be addressed to Tavia Gordon, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. Landow Building, Room C841, 7910 Woodmont Avenue, Bethesda, Maryland 200 14. Manuscript accepted January 2 1, 1977.

Lipid and lipoprotein values, including fasting triglycerides and high density lipoproteins (HDL), low density lipoproteins (LDL) and total cholesterol levels, were obtained on 2,815 men and women aged 49 to 82 years chiefly between 1989 and 1971 at Framlngham. in the approximately four years following the characterization of lipids, coronary heart disease developed in 79 of the 1,025 men and 83 of the 1,445 women free of coronary heart diseases. At these older ages the major potent lipid risk factor was HDL cholesterol, which had an inverse association with the incidence of coronary heart disease (p