The Study
Lipid levels in patients hospitalized with coronary artery disease: an analysis of 136,905 hospitalizations in Get With The Guidelines.
This study looked at the cholesterol levels of lots of people who went to the hospital with heart problems, and found out what numbers were common. But it didn’t change anything or test a treatment — so we can’t say what caused those numbers or if changing them would help.
Analysis score
Maximum 44 for a cross-sectional study.
Where the score came from
Even though many heart patients take medicine to lower cholesterol, most still have high bad cholesterol and low good cholesterol when they get hospitalized.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 535 / 100
Quality score
Snapshots of a population at a single point in time, or descriptions of small groups. Can identify correlations and prevalence, but cannot determine cause and effect.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — most patients are not reaching recommended cholesterol targets, even after taking medicine, suggesting current treatments aren't working well enough.
- 2Average bad cholesterol (LDL): 104.9 mg/dL.
- 3Over half (54.6%) had low good cholesterol (HDL <40 mg/dL).
- 4Only 1.4% had both ideal levels: LDL under 70 and HDL over 60.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
American heart journal
Year
2009
Authors
Amit Sachdeva, C. Cannon, P. Deedwania, K. Labresh, Sidney C. Smith, David Dai, Adrian F. Hernandez, G. Fonarow
Related Content
Claims (10)
From 2000 to 2006, both 'bad' and 'good' cholesterol levels in heart disease patients admitted to the hospital gradually went down.
When people with heart disease are first admitted to the hospital, their 'bad' cholesterol is usually around 105, which is higher than what doctors now recommend.
More than half of heart disease patients admitted to the hospital have low levels of 'good' cholesterol, which is linked to higher heart disease risk.
When people with heart disease are admitted to the hospital, their 'bad' cholesterol is usually around 105 mg/dL, which is higher than what doctors now recommend for heart health.
Very few heart disease patients—just 1 in 70—have both very low 'bad' cholesterol and high 'good' cholesterol at the time they’re admitted to the hospital.
Women with heart disease tend to have higher 'bad' cholesterol levels than men when they are first admitted to the hospital.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.