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Cholesterol cut-off level below Western average

By Our Staff Reporter

Chennai Oct. 22 . Preliminary results of a hospital-based control study, which was done to identify a desirable cut-off level for cholesterol, found it to be 160 mg/dl for Indians, much below Western standards, say the city's cardiologists.

Given that the group are ethnically at risk for high cholesterol level and coronary artery disease, the study conducted among 420 patients in Sri Ramachandra Medical College, Porur, established that the acceptable cut-off level for Indians must range between 16-170 mg/dl.

Genetically, Indians had a low level of the HDL component in cholesterol, which decreased the risk of CAD, said professor of Biochemistry, SRMC, Hariprasad Chegu. CAD is a chronic, complex metabolic disease affecting individuals in their prime.

Even a marginal increase of the HDL component would provide some protection against heart disease, as has been proved in Japan, where the natives had high levels of HDL.

The focus therefore could be well diverted to `preventive cardiology', according to the Vice-Chancellor and Director, Cardiac Care Centre, SRMC, S. Thanikachalam.

Even prevention would have to be a three-pronged strategy: primary prevention to lower cholesterol, secondary prevention which will be effective after one attack and primordial prevention to prevent onset of the risk factors, Prof. Chegu said.

While 16 per cent of all Indians suffered from hypertension, nearly half of all diabetics were hypertensive, a very disturbing pattern, according to the diabetologist, V. Mohan. This would be part of the deliberations of the fifth annual convention of the South Asian Society for Atherosclerosis and Thrombosis (SASAT) to be held between October 25 and 27 in the city.

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