LEVELS OF HDL CHOLESTEROL -- THE GOOD CHOLESTEROL -- CAN BE USED TO PREDICT MAJOR ADVERSE CORONARY EVENTS, INDEPENDENT OF OTHER HEART AND CIRCULATORY RISK FACTORS, ACCORDING TO A REPORT PUBLISHED THIS MONTH AND CARRIED BY REUTERS. CURRENTLY, MOST GUIDELINES ONLY SUGGEST FOLLOWING THE 'BAD' LDL CHOLESTEROL, DR. WILLIAM M. TIERNEY, AN AUTHOR OF THE REPORT, TOLD REUTERS HEALTH. 'A LIPID PROFILE NEEDS TO INCLUDE HDL, AND PHYSICIANS NEED TO CONSIDER THIS AS A SEPARATE RISK FACTOR AND FOLLOW IT,' HE SAID. TIERNEY, FROM THE INDIANA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, INDIANAPOLIS, AND COLLEAGUES ASSESSED THE INDEPENDENT EFFECT IN EVERYDAY CLINICAL PRACTICE OF HDL CHOLESTEROL AND ITS CHANGE OVER TIME ON THE OCCURRENCE OF MAJOR ADVERSE CORONARY EVENTS AMONG NEARLY 7,000 ADULTS. HDL CHOLESTEROL WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER FOR PATIENTS WHO SUBSEQUENTLY EXPERIENCED A CARDIAC EVENT, SUCH AS A HEART ATTACK, COMPARED WITH THOSE WHO DID NOT EXPERIENCE A CARDIAC EVENT, THE AUTHORS REPORT, BUT THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN LDL CHOLESTEROL VALUES BETWEEN THOSE WITH AND THOSE WITHOUT SUBSEQUENT CARDIAC EVENTS. --MORE 23 31 LOCAL TIME 20 31 GMT
