Triglycerides and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and the incidence of cardiovascular disease in an urban Japanese cohort: The Suita study

Objective: The impact of elevated triglycerides (TG) and non-high density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDLC) on the incidence of stroke and myocardial infarction (MI) has not been well evaluated in Asian populations such as in Japan, which have a lower incidence of myocardial infarction, but a higher risk of stroke than Western populations. Methods: The authors conducted an 11.7-year prospective study ending in 2005 of 5098 Japanese aged 30-79 living in an urban population, initially free of stroke or MI. The relationship between serum lipids and the risk for stroke and MI was determined by dividing the participants into four groups stratified by the combination of serum levels of TG and non-HDLC. The cut-off value was 1.7 mmol/L for TG and 4.9 mmol/L for non-HDLC. Results and conclusion: The total person-years were 59,774 (27,461 for men and 32,313 for women). During the follow-up period, there were 113 cases of MI and 180 of stoke (with 116 cerebral infarctions). Compared with the low TG/low non-HDLC group, the hazard ratio (95% confidence interval) for MI in the high TG/high non-HDLC group was 2.55 (1.53-4.24) after adjustment for other cardiovascular risk factors. The hazard ratio for cerebral infarction in the high TG alone group was 1.63 (1.03-2.56); however, the risk of cerebral infarction was not significantly increased in the other groups. High serum levels of TG and non-HDLC are both important targets for the prevention of cardiovascular disease in Japan. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.