High-Density Lipoprotein — The Clinical Implications of Recent Studies

DESPITE early observations suggesting an inverse relation between serum levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol and coronary disease,1 2 3 the possible protective role of HDL in atherogenesis received little attention until its "rediscovery" by Miller and Miller4 in 1975 and the publication of confirmatory results from the Honolulu,5 Framingham,6 and Tromsø7 heart studies in 1976 and 1977. In the ensuing decade, research into the biochemistry, metabolism, epidemiology, and genetics of HDL has expanded rapidly, but many questions remain unanswered. The recent publication of the results of the Helsinki Heart Study8 , 9 — in which simultaneous 11 percent increases in HDL and reductions . . .