Low cholesterol levels increase the risk of death in patients with heart disease

This study was published in the European Heart Journal 1 Jan 1997; 18(1): 52-9

Study title and author:
Low total cholesterol is associated with high total mortality in patients with coronary heart disease. The Bezafibrate Infarction Prevention (BIP) Study Group. 
Behar S 

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9049515

This study was undertaken to explore the relationships between pre-existing low cholesterol and death rates. Cholesterol levels were measured in 11,563 patients with heart disease who were followed for 3.3 years. The patients were classified into 2 groups:
(i) Cholesterol levels of 160mg/dl (4.1mmol/l) or under.
(ii) Cholesterol levels over 160mg/dl (4.1mmol/l).

The study found:
(a) Those with low cholesterol had 9% more heart disease deaths.
(b) Those with low cholesterol had a 49% higher total death rate.
(c) Those with low cholesterol had a 127% higher risk of non heart disease deaths.
(d) The most frequent cause of non heart disease death associated with low total cholesterol was cancer.

This study reveals if you have coronary heart disease and have low cholesterol you have a higher risk of death than if you have higher cholesterol.

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