Biomaterial Database

[Historical development of the cholesterol-atherosclerosis concept]. 1990

F H Epstein

Institut für Sozial- und Präventivmedizin, Universität Zürich.

The development of the cholesterol hypothesis to the cholesterol theory, as related to atherogenesis, is followed in chronological sequence. The major milestones in terms of chemical pathology of the lesions, clinical observations on serum cholesterol levels in patients with coronary heart disease, lipoprotein research, epidemiological investigations and prevention of diseases due to atherosclerosis are described within three time periods: from the 19th till the beginning of the 20th century, the years between the two World Wars and the last 40 years. A total picture emerges which assigns to cholesterol and its lipoprotein carriers a key role in the origins and progression of atherosclerosis. These causal relationships have opened the way to the prevention of the disease, supported by intervention studies aimed at reduction of serum cholesterol levels.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D002784	Cholesterol	The principal sterol of all higher animals, distributed in body tissues, especially the brain and spinal cord, and in animal fats and oils.	Epicholesterol
D005060	Europe	The continent north of AFRICA, west of ASIA and east of the ATLANTIC OCEAN.	Northern Europe,Southern Europe,Western Europe
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D006937	Hypercholesterolemia	A condition with abnormally high levels of CHOLESTEROL in the blood. It is defined as a cholesterol value exceeding the 95th percentile for the population.	Hypercholesteremia,Elevated Cholesterol,High Cholesterol Levels,Cholesterol Level, High,Cholesterol Levels, High,Cholesterol, Elevated,Cholesterols, Elevated,Elevated Cholesterols,High Cholesterol Level,Hypercholesteremias,Hypercholesterolemias,Level, High Cholesterol,Levels, High Cholesterol
D001161	Arteriosclerosis	Thickening and loss of elasticity of the walls of ARTERIES of all sizes. There are many forms classified by the types of lesions and arteries involved, such as ATHEROSCLEROSIS with fatty lesions in the ARTERIAL INTIMA of medium and large muscular arteries.	Arterioscleroses
D014481	United States	A country in NORTH AMERICA between CANADA and MEXICO.
D049672	History, 19th Century	Time period from 1801 through 1900 of the common era.	19th Century History,19th Cent. History (Medicine),19th Cent. History of Medicine,19th Cent. Medicine,Historical Events, 19th Century,History of Medicine, 19th Cent.,History, Nineteenth Century,Medical History, 19th Cent.,Medicine, 19th Cent.,19th Cent. Histories (Medicine),19th Century Histories,Cent. Histories, 19th (Medicine),Cent. History, 19th (Medicine),Century Histories, 19th,Century Histories, Nineteenth,Century History, 19th,Century History, Nineteenth,Histories, 19th Cent. (Medicine),Histories, 19th Century,Histories, Nineteenth Century,History, 19th Cent. (Medicine),Nineteenth Century Histories,Nineteenth Century History
D049673	History, 20th Century	Time period from 1901 through 2000 of the common era.	20th Century History,20th Cent. History (Medicine),20th Cent. History of Medicine,20th Cent. Medicine,Historical Events, 20th Century,History of Medicine, 20th Cent.,History, Twentieth Century,Medical History, 20th Cent.,Medicine, 20th Cent.,20th Cent. Histories (Medicine),20th Century Histories,Cent. Histories, 20th (Medicine),Cent. History, 20th (Medicine),Century Histories, 20th,Century Histories, Twentieth,Century History, 20th,Century History, Twentieth,Histories, 20th Cent. (Medicine),Histories, 20th Century,Histories, Twentieth Century,History, 20th Cent. (Medicine),Twentieth Century Histories,Twentieth Century History