TY - JOUR
T1 - Declaring war on undertreatment: rationale for an aggressive approach to lowering cholesterol
AU - van Dam, Marjel
AU - van Wissen, Sanne
AU - Kastelein, John J. P.
PY - 2002
Y1 - 2002
N2 - Few things are better understood within the medical community than the relationship between elevated total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, cardiovascular disease and death. There is consensus in the treatment guidelines of numerous national and international bodies that cholesterol levels in at-risk patients should be reduced to target levels that have been shown in population studies to be associated with low rates of coronary heart disease (CHID). However, dyslipidaemia continues to be underdiagnosed and undertreated. The 'landmark' statin trials have demonstrated unequivocally that effective lipid-lowering therapy significantly decreases CHID morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, these benefits of lipid-lowering therapy are not limited to middle-aged men, but extend across a broad range of patient populations. Recent trial data suggest that lowering LDL-C to target levels is possible in a substantial proportion of patients when statins are administered aggressively and results in a greater reduction in the risk of major coronary events. This reduction in events is seen in patients with stable coronary disease as well as those treated immediately after an acute coronary syndrome. Although strong clinical and angiographic evidence shows that intensive treatment prevents morbidity and saves lives, indications are that clinicians are still waiting too long to treat dyslipidaemia and when treatment is initiated it is often at inadequate dosages. Undertreatment of dyslipidaemia is an issue that the healthcare community can no longer ignore. (C) 2002 Lippincott Williams Wilkins
AB - Few things are better understood within the medical community than the relationship between elevated total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, cardiovascular disease and death. There is consensus in the treatment guidelines of numerous national and international bodies that cholesterol levels in at-risk patients should be reduced to target levels that have been shown in population studies to be associated with low rates of coronary heart disease (CHID). However, dyslipidaemia continues to be underdiagnosed and undertreated. The 'landmark' statin trials have demonstrated unequivocally that effective lipid-lowering therapy significantly decreases CHID morbidity and mortality. Furthermore, these benefits of lipid-lowering therapy are not limited to middle-aged men, but extend across a broad range of patient populations. Recent trial data suggest that lowering LDL-C to target levels is possible in a substantial proportion of patients when statins are administered aggressively and results in a greater reduction in the risk of major coronary events. This reduction in events is seen in patients with stable coronary disease as well as those treated immediately after an acute coronary syndrome. Although strong clinical and angiographic evidence shows that intensive treatment prevents morbidity and saves lives, indications are that clinicians are still waiting too long to treat dyslipidaemia and when treatment is initiated it is often at inadequate dosages. Undertreatment of dyslipidaemia is an issue that the healthcare community can no longer ignore. (C) 2002 Lippincott Williams Wilkins
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1097/00043798-200204000-00004
DO - https://doi.org/10.1097/00043798-200204000-00004
M3 - Article
C2 - 12006916
SN - 1350-6277
VL - 9
SP - 89
EP - 95
JO - Journal of Cardiovascular Risk
JF - Journal of Cardiovascular Risk
IS - 2
ER -