The Friedewald equation, which is commonly used to estimate LDL-cholesterol level, assumes a fixed ratio of five between triglycerides and VLDL cholesterol (TG:VLDL-C). Martin et al. have developed and validated a novel method of LDL-cholesterol level estimation, using a variable TG:VLDL-C ratio derived from data obtained from 1,350,908 US adults, adolescents, and children. The model improved the accuracy of LDL-cholesterol level estimation, particularly in classifying LDL-cholesterol concentration <70 mg/dl among individuals with an elevated TG level. If externally validated, Martin et al. believe that “implementation of these findings into clinical practice would be straightforward and at virtually no cost”.
References
Martin, S. S. et al. Comparison of a novel method vs the Friedewald equation for estimating low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels from the standard lipid profile. JAMA 310, 2061–2068
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Novel method of estimating LDL-cholesterol level. Nat Rev Cardiol 11, 64 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrcardio.2013.199
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrcardio.2013.199