Researchers have developed a more accurate way to calculate low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the so-called ‘bad’ form of blood fat that can lead to hardening of the arteries and increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Seth S. Martin, M.D., a cardiology fellow at the Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease, said that the standard formula that has been used for decades to calculate LDL cholesterol often underestimates LDL where accuracy matters most- in the range considered desirable for patients at high risk for heart attack and stroke.
Using a database of blood lipid samples from more than 1.3 million Americans that were directly measured with a traditional and widely accepted technique known as ultracentrifugation, the researchers developed an entirely different system and created a chart that uses 180 different factors to more accurately calculate LDL cholesterol and individualize the assessment for patients.
The study is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. (ANI)