Air Force/Texas Coronary Atherosclerosis Prevention Study (AFCAPS/TexCAPS): Baseline Characteristics and Comparison with USA Population

Abstract

Background

Results of the Air Force/Texas Coronary Atherosclerosis Prevention Study (AFCAPS/TexCAPS) demonstrated that treatment with lovastatin, in addition to modifications of diet and lifestyle, reduced the rate of first acute major coronary events compared with placebo in a cohort that included participants with average to mildly elevated total levels of cholesterol, and below average levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, women, and elderly subjects.

Objective

To describe the baseline characteristics of the study's cohort.

Design

This was a double-blind, placebo-controlled, primary-prevention trial in which Americans with average to mildly elevated total levels of cholesterol [4.65–6.83 mmol/l (180–264 mg/dl)] and no clinical evidence of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease were randomly allocated either 20–40 mg/day lovastatin or placebo in addition to a low-saturated fat, low-cholesterol diet. Baseline characteristics of the study cohort are described, and the characteristics of a USA reference population based upon NHANES III data are provided for comparison.

Results

The study includes 5608 men (85%) and 997 women (15%) with mean total cholesterol level 5.71 ± 0.54 mmol/l (221 ± 21 mg/dl), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level 3.88 ± 0.44 mmol/l (150 ± 17 mg/dl), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol 0.96 ± 0.15 mmol/l (37 ± 6 mg/dl), and median triglyceride level 1.78 ± 0.86 mmol/l (158 ± 76 mg/dl). The mean age is 58 years (ranges 45–73 years for men and 55–73 years for women). The participants are 89% white, 7% Hispanic, and 3% black.

Conclusion

Results from AFCAPS/TexCAPS will be applicable to large segments of populations; in the USA alone, eight million share the demographic and baseline-lipid-level characteristics of the study cohort.