Low Serum Cholesterol Levels and Subclinical Malabsorption
Authors: SANDER J. ROBINS
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1967)

Article1 March 1967Low Serum Cholesterol Levels and Subclinical MalabsorptionSANDER J. ROBINS, M.D., MARIO GARCIA-PALMIERI, M.D., F.A.C.P., CARLOS RUBIO, M.D.SANDER J. ROBINS, M.D., MARIO GARCIA-PALMIERI, M.D., F.A.C.P., CARLOS RUBIO, M.D.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-66-3-556 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptDuring the initial months of a prospective epidemiologic investigation of coronary heart disease in middle-aged Puerto Rican men, it was readily apparent that subjects with low serum cholesterol values were being encountered with unusual frequency. Of the first 2,000 individuals examined, 49% had cholesterol values below 200 mg/100 ml, and 12% had values less than 160 mg/100 ml (1).A malabsorption syndrome of undetermined cause (tropical sprue) has remained endemic in Puerto Rico since recognized 60 years ago. 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