Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease: implications of lipid-lowering trials.
AVAILABLE LIPID-LOWERING TREATMENT: Aggressive cholesterol-lowering with 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl (HMG)-coenzyme A reductase inhibitors has proved to be more effective than drugs available in the past. This treatment is safe and reduces morbidity and mortality from coronary heart disease substantially in all categories of patients at risk. The effect of treatment on clinical events is proportional to the reduction in low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol.


CONCLUSIONS
In the future, even more effective drugs will become available that may yield even greater benefit than has been observed in trials until now. At present, this therapy is too expensive for use in mass strategy to prevent coronary heart disease. Therefore, it should be limited to patients with a high risk. When further development brings newer drugs with a lower cost, drug treatment for cholesterol-lowering may become as widespread as antihypertensive treatment is today in order to prevent cardiovascular disease.
Pedersen
T R
TR
Cardiology Department, Aker Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008148:Lovastatin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000627:therapeutic use; D019821:Simvastatin; D016019:Survival Analysis
D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D000960:Hypolipidemic Agents; D008148:Lovastatin; D019821:Simvastatin