Blood cholesterol has become a major health issue in this nation. There is very little data, however, on the cholesterol levels of adults with mental retardation. The purpose of this preliminary study was to measure total cholesterol (TC) and high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) in adults with mental retardation who resided in an intermediate care facility. The results of this investigation found that a large percentage of adults with mental retardation can be classified in the moderate to high risk category for coronary heart disease. Practical suggestions for lowering the blood cholesterol of persons with mental retardation are included at the end of this study.
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