Lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol is a significant and independent risk for coronary artery disease in Japanese men.

AIM: Lower levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) have been recognized as a risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD), but the relationship between HDL-C values and the occurrence of CAD has not been fully established in the Japanese general population. METHODS: A cohort study of 5,371 Japanese men with 12 years of follow-up was conducted to identify risk factors for the occurrence of CAD. RESULTS: One hundred and twelve subjects had CAD (acute myocardial infarction in 67 patients and angina in 45 patients) during the follow-up period. Adjustment for variables including age, body mass index, smoking habit, alcohol intake, systolic blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride, fasting plasma glucose, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia, adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of lower levels of HDL-C for the occurrence of CAD was 1.21 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.11-1.33, p<0.001). Serum HDL-C concentration less than 51 mg/dL was a significant risk for CAD. CONCLUSIONS: Low HDL-C was identified as a significant and independent risk for CAD in Japanese men using long-term follow-up data.