Serum Lipid Levels and the Severity of Coronary and Cerebral Atherosclerosis in Adequately Nourished Men, 60 to 69 Years of Age

Abstract

Comparisons have been made between the antemortem levels of serum cholesterol, cholesterol-phospholipid ratio, and Gofman''s "Atherogenic Index" and the post-mortem severity of atherosclerosis in the coronary and cerebral arteries of 42 male patients, 60 to 69 years old, all of whom were adequately nourished at the time of death. No significant relationships, nor any trend toward such relationships, were found in 18 individual analyses about the coronary arteries. Furthermore, the mean serum lipid levels were consistently (but not significantly) higher in persons who did not have demonstrable sequelae of coronary sclerosis at autopsy than in persons who had sequelae. It was concluded that the validity of the "lipid theory" of atherosclerosis remains unproved, as far as the coronary arteries are concerned. Data for the cerebral arteries resulted in significant relationships being obtained in 4 of 15 individual comparisons[long dash]findings so equivocal that a final opinion cannot be expressed. Nevertheless, 2 negative results emerged that are worth emphasizing: none of the serum lipid levels was related significantly to the amount or concentration of extractable lipid in the cerebral arteries, or to the presence or absence of those sequelae of cerebral sclerosis that can be identified at autopsy.