Non–HDL Cholesterol, Apolipoproteins A-I and B 100 , Standard Lipid Measures, Lipid Ratios, and CRP as Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease in Women

To directly compare the clinical utility of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), HDL-C, non-HDL-C, apolipoproteins A-I and B(100), high-sensitivity CRP, and the ratios of total cholesterol to HDL-C, LDL-C to HDL-C, apolipoprotein B(100) to apolipoprotein A-I, and apolipoprotein B(100) to HDL-C as predictors of future cardiovascular events in women. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Prospective cohort study of 15,632 initially healthy US women aged 45 years or older (interquartile range, 48-59 years) who were enrolled between November 1992 and July 1995. All participants were followed up over a 10-year period for the occurrence of future cardiovascular events. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for first-ever major cardiovascular events (N = 464) according to baseline levels of each biomarker.

After adjustment for age, smoking status, blood pressure, diabetes, and body mass index, the HRs for future cardiovascular events for those in the extreme quintiles were 1.62 (95% CI, 1.17-2.25) for LDL-C, 1.75 (95% CI, 1.30-2.38) for apolipoprotein A-I, 2.08 (95% CI, 1.45-2.97) for total cholesterol, 2.32 (95% CI, 1.64-3.33) for HDL-C, 2.50 (95% CI, 1.68-3.72) for apolipoprotein B(100), 2.51 (95% CI, 1.69-3.72) for non-HDL-C, and 2.98 (95% CI, 1.90-4.67) for high-sensitivity CRP (P