High-Density Lipoproteins and the Risk of Atherosclerosis

Abstract

Atherosclerosis, the most common lethal disease in our population, has no obvious single cause. Although hypertension, cigarette smoking, and hyperlipidemia are all prominent risk factors for atherosclerotic disease of the coronary, cerebral, and peripheral arteries, the disease develops in a small percentage of subjects without any of these factors. This observation has led to a search for additional risk factors. Many studies, both old¹ and more recent^{2 , 3} have correlated decreased plasma concentrations of high-density (alpha) lipoproteins (HDLs) with the development of atherosclerosis. The measurement that was specifically correlated with the disease was the cholesterol content of HDL, but this is . . .