The Air Force/Texas Coronary Atherosclerosis Prevention Study: implications for preventive cardiology in the general adult US population.

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases are the most common causes of death in the United States. Fibrous plaques develop in 77% to 78% of men before age 30. The mean low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) level in men aged 25 to 30 years is 117 mg/dL. In the Air Force/Texas Coronary Atherosclerosis Prevention Study, lovastatin therapy was associated with a 40% reduction in risk of fatal and nonfatal myocardial infarction. The reduction in risk of myocardial infarction was independent of baseline LDL-C level with baseline LDL-C levels as low as 125 mg/dL. The National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines should be simplified by recommending that LDL-C levels be less than 100 mg/dL in all adults in the United States.