Coronary heart disease (CHD) has recently become the most common cause of death in the industrialized world.1 Elevated serum total cholesterol (TC) levels are widely believed to be a risk factor for CHD, based on studies conducted in Europe, the United States,2-4 and Japan.5-7 It has been shown that 3-hydroxy-3-methylgultaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors (so-called statins) reduce serum TC levels and decrease the number of both fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events8-13 and can cause mortality.8,11. This evidence concerns the gene HMGCR and coronary artery disorder.