Researchers suggest a different method of assessing risk
after examining data on 1.3 million Americans
In what promises to be an eye-opener for many doctors and
patients who routinely depend on cholesterol testing, a study led by
researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine found that the
standard formula used for decades to calculate low-density lipoprotein (LDL)
cholesterol levels is often inaccurate. Of most concern, the researchers say,
is their finding that the widely used formula underestimates LDL where accuracy
matters most — in the range considered desirable for high-risk patients.
Results of the study are published in an online article, ahead of print, in the
Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
LDL is known as the "bad' cholesterol, with higher
numbers signaling greater risk of plaque accumulating in heart arteries and
having a heart attack. Since 1972, a formula called the Friedewald equation has
been used to gauge LDL cholesterol. It is an estimate rather than an exact
measurement. However, physicians use the number to assess their patients’ risk
and determine the best course of treatment.