Dyslipidemia and coronary artery disease in the elderly.

Risk factors that predict atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in younger individuals also predict risk in older people. Although the relative risk of cardiovascular disease associated with any given risk factor may decrease as individuals get older, the absolute risk of morbidity and mortality increases markedly with age. Because the elderly carry the greatest burden of atherosclerosis, they should not be excluded automatically from cholesterol-lowering interventions with either diet or drugs. Such interventions, however, should be undertaken with special attention to their potential adverse effects in the older population.