In the combination therapy trial, patients were randomized to usual care or to stepped-care drug therapy with lipid-lowering agents including pravastatin, nicotinic acid, cholestyramine, and gemfibrozil to decrease total cholesterol levels to less than 160 mg/dl and the ratio of low density lipoprotein cholesterol to high density lipoprotein cholesterol to less than 2.0. Measurements included fasting serum lipoprotein profile, fasting apolipoprotein levels, and frequency of adverse effects. Patients were assessed every six weeks during drug titration and every three months thereafter for two -and-a-half years.