The following is a summary of “Elevated high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and adverse outcomes in women with symptoms of ischemic heart disease,” published in the April 2024 issue of Cardiology by Ranasinghe et al.

Adverse outcomes in women with suspected ischemic heart disease are unexplored despite the high risk in the general population with coronary artery disease and high-density Lipoprotein Cholesterol (HDL-C) levels.

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to determine the relationship between HDL-C levels and major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in women with suspected myocardial ischemia.

They analyzed 607 women in Women’s Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation (WISE) with available HDL-C values. Associations between HDL-C level and outcomes were evaluated using multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression and spline regression analysis. 

The result showed the mean age to be 59±12 years, where 62% had three or more cardiac risk factors, and 66 (10.9%) had a high HDL-C level. Higher and Lower HDL-C levels were linked to higher MACE risk compared to average HDL-C after adjusting for demographic and clinical characteristics [(HR 1.80, CI 1.03-3.14, P=0.038), (HR 1.63, CI 1.09-2.42, P=0.016), respectively]. Similarly, high and low HDL-C were also associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality (HR 3.64, CI 1.84-7.20, P<0.001; HR 2.81, CI 1.67-4.71, P<0.001, respectively)

Investigators concluded that there is an independent correlation between varying HDL-C levels, all-cause mortality, and MACE risks among women who undergo coronary angiography for suspected ischemia.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666602224000193