The Study
Optimal low-density lipoprotein cholesterol target level in Korean acute myocardial infarction patients (<70 mg/dL vs. <55 mg/dL): Based on Korea acute myocardial infarction registry-National Institute of Health.
This study looked at people who already had heart attacks and saw that those with lower cholesterol levels tended to have fewer heart problems later. But it didn't randomly assign people to different cholesterol goals, so we can't say for sure that lowering cholesterol caused the improvement.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
After a heart attack, doctors want to lower bad cholesterol (LDL-C) to prevent another one. This study looked at whether getting it below 70 or even below 55 is better.
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 559 / 100
Quality score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — reaching LDL-C below 70 helps, but going even lower doesn't seem to help more, which means doctors might not need to push for ultra-low targets in these patients.
- 2Patients with LDL-C below 70 mg/dL had 27% fewer heart problems over 3 years than those who didn't reach that level.
- 3Those with LDL-C below 55 mg/dL didn't do any better than those at below 70 mg/dL.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
International journal of cardiology
Year
2021
Authors
J. Ahn, Y. Ahn, M. Jeong, Ju Han Kim, Y. Hong, D. Sim, Min Chul Kim, K. Cho, Dae Yong Hyun, Seung Hun Lee, H. Kim, H. Gwon, I. Seong, S. Hur, S. Oh
Related Content
Claims (3)
For patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, lowering LDL cholesterol to below 55 mg/dL instead of 70 mg/dL reduces major heart events by 33% over three years and results in lower rates of kidney function marker elevation.
Among Korean survivors of a heart attack, those who lowered their LDL cholesterol to below 70 mg/dL and reduced it by at least half from their original level had a 27% lower rate of serious heart problems over three years than those who did not meet these targets.
Among Korean survivors of a heart attack, lowering LDL cholesterol below 55 mg/dL instead of below 70 mg/dL for three years did not lead to a measurable further decrease in serious heart problems.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.