Cholesterol Reduction and Life Expectancy
Authors: PETER L. FROMMER
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1988)

Letters and Corrections1 February 1988Cholesterol Reduction and Life ExpectancyPETER L. FROMMER, M.D., JOEL VERTER, Ph.D., JANET WITTERS, Ph.D., WILLIAM CASTELLI, M.D.PETER L. FROMMER, M.D.Search for more papers by this author, JOEL VERTER, Ph.D.Search for more papers by this author, JANET WITTERS, Ph.D.Search for more papers by this author, WILLIAM CASTELLI, M.D.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-108-2-313 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptTo the editor: Taylor and associates (1) use data from the Framingham Heart Study in an attempt to predict the impact of lowering blood cholesterol on life expectancy. They have created a mathematical model we believe is conceptually flawed. The coefficients used estimate 2-year, not long-term, risk. Their approach models temporal trajectories of cholesterol and other risk factors from which they create longitudinal survival data and calculate life expectancy. Unfortunately, to predict the life expectancy of a cohort of 20-year-old persons based on 2-year snippets of risk, the authors must create artificial continuities more than 30 times. Furthermore, instead of...References1. TAYLORPASSSHEPARDKOMAROFF WTDA. Cholesterol reduction and life expectancy: a model incorporating multiple risk factors. Ann Intern Med. 1987;106;605-14. LinkGoogle Scholar2. GORDONSHURTLEFF TD. Means at each examination and inter-examination variation of specified characteristics: Framingham Study, examination 1 to examination 10. In: KANNEL WB, GORDON T, eds. The Framingham Study: An Epidemiological Investigation of Cardiovascular Disease: Section 29. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare; 1974. (DHEW publication no. [NIH] 74-539). Google Scholar3. ANDERSONCASTELLILEVY KWD. Cholesterol and mortality, 30 years of follow-up from the Framingham Study. JAMA. 1987;257:2176-80. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar1. SHURTLEFF D. Some characteristics related to the incidence of cardiovascular disease and death: Framingham study, 18-year follow-up. In: KANNEL WB, GORDON T, eds. The Framingham Study: An Epidemiologic Investigation of Cardiovascular Disease: Section 30. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare; 1974. (DHEW publication no. [NIH] 74-599). Google Scholar2. BERWICKCRETINKEELER DSE. Cholesterol, Children, and Heart Disease: An Analysis of Alternatives. New York: Oxford University Press; 1980. Google Scholar3. KANNELCASTELLIGORDON WWT. Cholesterol in the prediction of atherosclerotic disease: new perspectives based on the Framingham Study. Ann Intern Med. 1979;90:85-91. LinkGoogle Scholar4. SHEPARD D. Reliability of blood pressure measurements: implications for designing and evaluating programs to control hypertension. J Chronic Dis. 1981;34:191-209. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. ANDERSONCASTELLILEVY KWD. Cholesterol and mortality: 30 years of follow-up from the Framingham Study. JAMA. 1987;257:2176-80. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute National Institutes of Health Bethesda, MD 20892 PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited ByLong-term amiodarone therapy raises serum cholesterolDoes Lowering Serum Cholesterol Levels Lower Coronary Heart Disease Risk?Screening Asymptomatic Adults for Cardiac Risk Factors: The Serum Cholesterol LevelAlan M. Garber, MD, PhD, Harold C. Sox Jr, MD, Benjamin Littenberg, MDThe cholesterol pessimist 1 February 1988Volume 108, Issue 2Page: 313-314KeywordsBloodCholesterolLife expectancyLongitudinal studiesMathematical modelsMedical risk factors Issue Published: 1 February 1988 PDF DownloadLoading ...