High-Density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Measurements
A Help or Hindrance in Practical Clinical Medicine?
- H. Robert Superko, MD;
- Paul S. Bachorik, PhD;
- Peter D. Wood, DSc, PhD
- From the Lipid Research Clinic, Heart Disease Prevention Program, Stanford (Calif) Center for Research in Disease Prevention, Stanford University School of Medicine (Drs Superko and Wood), and the Departments of Pediatrics and Laboratory Medicine, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore (Dr Bachorik).
Abstract
Often, plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDLC) measurements lack sufficient accuracy to be of practical use in an individual clinical setting. Recent clinical investigations have demonstrated the strong predictive value of HDLC concentration for future coronary events and rate of progression of angiographically assessed coronary atherosclerosis. Clinical demand for HDLC measurements by clinicians has increased after the announcements of these results. The ability of clinical laboratories to assess HDLC values accurately, so that they may be applied on an individual basis, may be lacking, and enhanced accuracy should be encouraged.
(JAMA 1986;256:2714-2717)
Footnotes
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Reprint requests to Stanford Center for Research in Disease Prevention, 730 Welch Rd, Suite B, Stanford, CA 94305 (Dr Superko).
