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Size matters: HDL particle populations and the risk of infection

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Low plasma levels of HDL cholesterol are a risk factor for infection and hospitalization for infectious disease. Recent work suggests that inadequate levels of HDL particles of specific sizes — small and medium — account for this risk. In this Comment, we discuss the mechanistic implications of these observations and the methodologies used to quantify HDL size.

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Fig. 1: HDL size and macrophage function.

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Correspondence to Jay W. Heinecke.

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Heinecke, J.W., Davidson, W.S. Size matters: HDL particle populations and the risk of infection. Nat Rev Cardiol 20, 279–280 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41569-023-00844-8

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