Comparison of serum lipid values in patients with coronary artery disease at \textless50, 50 to 59, 60 to 69, and \textgreater70 years of age

We evaluated the relation between lipids and precocity of coronary artery disease (CAD) in the real world as characterized by increasing statin use. The highest mean values of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, non-high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, and ratio of triglycerides to HDL cholesterol were found when CAD was detected in patients who were \textless50 years of age (p \textless0.01 for all); the opposite occurred for HDL cholesterol (p \textless0.01). Triglycerides and ratio of triglycerides to HDL cholesterol were the most powerful, independent variables related to precocity of CAD. © 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.