ACCSAP CCKE Coronary Artery Disease (CAD): Risk Stratification and Prevention Practice Test

HDL cholesterol is protective against coronary events, and risk rises as HDL falls. In women, the difference between very low and very high HDL is large: those in the lowest quartile (<46) have about six to seven times as many coronary events as those in the highest quartile (>67). This steep gradient highlights how strongly low HDL is associated with higher risk, especially in women.