Baseline characteristics in the Cholesterol and Recurrent Events (CARE) trial of secondary prevention in patients with average serum cholesterol levels

CARE will determine whether 5 years of cholesterol-lowering therapy reduces recurrent coronary disease events in 4,159 patients who have had an AMI. The mean total cholesterol and LDL-C levels in CARE (209 and 139 mg/dl) are similar to the average levels for the US population. The results of CARE will have relevance to the treatment of the majority of patients with coronary disease who have average rather than elevated cholesterol levels.