Air Force/Texas Coronary Atherosclerosis Prevention Study
(AFCAPS/TexCAPS)
Downs JR et al. JAMA. 1998;279:1615-1622.
AFCAPS/TexCAPS was a study of 6,605 subjects without heart disease and with average Total Cholesterol (221 mg/dL) and LDL (150 mg/dL) levels, and below average HDL levels (men, 36 mg/dL; women, 40 mg/dL). The study population comprised men aged 45 to 73 years (85%) and postmenopausal women aged 55 to 73 years (15%). Subjects were placed on a low-fat, low-cholesterol diet and randomized to either placebo or lovastatin (Mevacor) 20-40 mg/day. The people were followed for and average of 5.2 years.
Lovastatin treatment reduced the incidence of heart attack, cardiac death or unstable angina (chest pain) by 37%. The combined incidence of fatal and nonfatal heart attack was reduced by 40%, hospitalization for unstable angina were reduced by 32%, and bypass surgery or angioplasty by 33%.
This study demonstrates that the benefits of LDL lowering can be extended to those with average baseline LDL levels. It also reaffirms the use of low HDL as a marker for the assessment of cardiovascular disease risk in patients.
AFCAPS/TexCAPS: Lowering LDL & raising HDL in people with no heart disease & average cholesterol levels.
