Youthful hypercholesteremia: its associated characteristics and role in premature myocardial infarction
Thomas, C.B.; Ross, D.C.; Duszynski, K.R.
Johns Hopkins Medical Journal 136(5): 193-208
1975
ISSN/ISBN: 0021-7263 PMID: 1127840 Document Number: 92816
In a population of 1337 medical students, total serum cholesterol and other characteristics indicated that hypercholesterolaemic students were older, shorter and heavier, with younger mothers, less depression, less anxiety and less overall nervous tension under stress than normocholesterolaemic students; also, those who were hypercholesterolaemic were more than 30 times as susceptible to episodes of acute myocardial infarction occurring 13 to 21 years after the high cholesterol values were measured. Ten male medical students who subsequently had a myocardial infarction, most of whom were known to have had hypercholesterolaemia in youth, were shorter in stature, were older, had more overall nervous tension under stress, were more tired on awakening and had lower academic standing than their 103 hypercholesterolaemic classmates who did not have such an episode. The findings indicate that it may be possible to identify young hypercholesterolaemic subjects who are highly susceptible to myocardial infarction.