School
Worcester
Seasonal Cholesterol Study
Amherst
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Medical
School Worcester |
UMass
Collaborative Research Seasonal Cholesterol Study |
UMass Amherst |
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| Worc.: Prev.& behav. med. : Projects and studies | Biostat/epid : SPHHS home : Amherst: |
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Overview |
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Despite recent advances in prevention and therapy, coronary heart disease (CHD) remains the single most common cause of mortality in the United States. An elevated blood cholesterol level is one of the most important risk factors for CHD (1). The National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) has recommended universal cholesterol screening for adults, and has generated algorithms for screening and therapy with specific cholesterol level cutpoints (2, 3).Yet it is well documented in the literature that there is significant seasonal variation of cholesterol levels, a factor which has important implications for screening and therapy but has not been taken into account in the NCEP guidelines. The etiology of this phenomenon has also been poorly delineated. The primary aim of this study is to definitively describe and delineate the causes of seasonal variation of blood lipid levels in the general population. Specifically we will: 1. Assess the magnitude and timing of the seasonal effect of blood lipid levels in both sexes and at different ages, and in the important lipoprotein subfractions (total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), total triglycerides (TG), apolipoproteins AI, B, and lipoprotein (a)); 2. Identify and quantify the effects of the main factors determining the variation; 3. Assess the seasonal variation of other blood elements thought to play a role in the development of coronary heart disease, including hemostatic factors and antioxidants; 4. Explore the implications of the phenomenon of seasonal variation for public health policy. The study population consists of 600 randomly selected adult patients at the Fallon Clinic, a large health maintenance organization (HMO) in central Massachusetts. Patients will be followed for a one year period, during which time multiple measurements will be made of serum lipids and other biochemical factors (antioxidants, hemostatic factors), diet, physical activity, light exposure, and psychosocial variables. |
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: Worc.: Prev.& behav. med. : Projects and studies |
Biostat/epid : SPHHS home : Amherst: |
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Copyright
2000 University of Massachusetts, Amherst. This is a page at the University of Massachusetts Amherst Campus. Produced and maintained by Ed Stanek at the School of Public Health and Health Sciences. Send comments or questions about this web site to stanek@schoolph.umass.edu This page was last modified on May 23, 2001 . |