The role of cholesterol trajectories in prevention of cardiovascular disease and death among older..

The role of cholesterol trajectories in prevention of cardiovascular disease and death among older adults without established cardiovascular disease

Dr Zhen Zhou, University of Tasmania

2022 Postdoctoral Fellowship

Years funded: 2023-2024

Although high cholesterol is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), many studies reported that low cholesterol levels were associated with an increased risk of death in older adults. Researchers have argued that the results of these studies were likely to be skewed by using single-test cholesterol measures. This may be problematic as cholesterol levels in older people are prone to variation due to age-related changes in metabolism, nutrition, and body mass. Repeated measurements of cholesterol (referred to as trajectory) that consider both the initial level and changes over time may be superior in risk predicting in older people. To test this hypothesis, this project will examine the ability of cholesterol trajectories in predicting risk of CVD and death among 16,000+ older adults from a clinical trial who had no CVD history initially. The follow-up time is 10 years. An expected outcome is that cholesterol trajectories will add incremental information to single measures in risk prediction to guide preventive strategies in older populations.