In contrast to the middle-aged population, there remains some
uncertainty regarding the association between lipids and incident
CHD in the elderly. For instance, in survivors of the Whitehall Study
comprising elderlymenaged 77 years on average, higher than usual
levels of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and ApoB were associated with higher mortality due to ischemic heart disease over 7
years in those without previous cardiovascular disease, i.e. in 75% of
the study cohort, whereas the opposite trend (although not statistically
significant) was seen in those with previous cardiovascular
disease [9]. In the Cardiovascular Health Study, which includedmen
and women aged 65 years and over, total and LDL cholesterol and
triglycerides, were weakly and often marginally associated with
cardiovascular disease, including myocardial infarction, stroke and
overall mortality during the 7.5 years of follow-up [10]. In this
study, however low HDL-cholesterol and increased MI risk was
nonetheless strong and consistent