Coronary artery disease in Chinese males without hypercholesterolaemia The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of various metabolic risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD) in 246 male patients studied over a 2-year period. CAD was diagnosed on the basis of a history indicative of angina pectoris, an electrocardiogram diagnostic of myocardial ischaemia, and a positive coronary angiogram. Thirty-eight per cent of this population had diabetes, hypertension or both. Of the remaining individuals, 39% had a plasma cholesterol concentration greater than 5.2 mmol l-1, whereas 23% had a cholesterol concentration less than 5.2 mmol l-1. Plasma lipid and lipoprotein levels of a non-smoking subset of those subjects with a total cholesterol concentration less than 5.2 mmol l-1 were compared with values of a matched group of individuals who did not have significant vessel disease as revealed by angiography. The results of these investigations indicated that patients with CAD and a plasma cholesterol concentration less than 5.2 mmol l-1 exhibited an increase in plasma triglyceride concentration and a decrease in plasma HDL-cholesterol concentration. Since these subjects were not diabetic, hypertensive or hypercholesterolaemic, it is suggested that the observed changes in triglyceride and HDL metabolism made a major contribution to the CAD in these individuals. 