Serum apolipoprotein levels in relation to acute myocardial infarction and its risk factors. Apolipoprotein A-I levels in male survivors of myocardial infarction.

The significance of high density lipoproteins in the etiology of clinical complications to atherosclerosis has recently received increased attention. The levels of the major apolipoprotein in high density lipoproteins, apoA-I, have been determined in patients who had had an acute myocardial infarction, and compared with a cholesterol-matched and a randomly selected control group. ApoA-I levels were lower in the patients than in the control groups. ApoA-I levels were also lower in smokers than in non-smokers. The difference between patients and control groups persisted even when the groups were stratified according to smoking habits. This suggests that low levels of apo-A-I as well as alphalipoprotein cholesterol are additional characteristics of the infarction patients, even when the established risk factors, smoking and hyperlipidemia are taken into account.