For each 1-mmol/L (38mg/dL) decrease in cholesterol levels, heart failure patients have a 26% increase in mortality risk

This study was published in Kardiologiia 2007;47(8):12-6.

Study title and authors:
Cholesterol and glucose levels belong to independent predictors of death and hospitalizations in patients with chronic systolic heart failure.
Smetanina IN, Deev AD, Gratsianskiĭ NA.

This study can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18260904

This study of 130 patients with systolic chronic heart failure, was designed to elucidate the relationship of cholesterol levels with the number of deaths and hospitalizations of the patients for heart failure worsening over a 1.4 year period. Average age of the patients was 65 years.

The study found:
(a) Those patients who died or were hospitalized for worsening heart failure had lower cholesterol rates than those who remained healthy.
(b) For each 1-mmol/L (38mg/dL) decrease in cholesterol levels, patients had a 26% increase of mortality risk.
(c) Patients with cholesterol levels less than 4.0 mmol/L (154mg/dL) were at higher risk of death or been hospitalized for worsening heart failure.
(d) Patients with cholesterol levels less than 4.0 mmol/L (154mg/dL) had significantly reduced survival rates.

To conclude: Patients with heart failure are more likely to die or need hospital treatment if they have low cholesterol levels.