Associations of Low-density Lipoprotein Cholesterol With All-cause and Cause-specific Mortality in Older Adults in China

Limited information was available on detailed associations of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) with all-cause and cause-specific mortality in older adults. This prospective cohort study included a representative sample of 211 290 adults aged 65 or older who participated in Shenzhen Healthy Aging Research 2018-2019. The vital status of the participants by December 31, 2021, was determined. We estimated the hazard ratios (HR) with 95% confidence intervals for all-cause or cause-specific mortality using multivariable Cox proportional hazards models and Cox models with restricted cubic spline (RCS). The median follow-up time was 3.08 years. A total of 5333 participants were confirmed to have died. Among them, 2037 cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths and 1881 cancer deaths occurred. Compared to those with LDL-C of 100 to 129 mg/dL, the all-cause mortality risk was significantly higher for individuals with LDL-C levels that were very low (