title: Prevention of coronary heart disease through cholesterol reduction.
abstract: Growing evidence suggests that lowering serum cholesterol levels, particularly low-density lipoprotein levels, will reduce the risk for coronary heart disease. The benefit of cholesterol-lowering therapy has been documented by many clinical trials. Two secondary prevention trials, the Scandinavian Simvastatin Survival Study and the Cholesterol and Recurrent Events trial, demonstrated a striking reduction in recurrent coronary heart disease without an increase in noncardiovascular mortality; treatment with simvastatin reduced total mortality by 30 percent. A primary prevention trial, the West of Scotland Coronary Prevention Study, demonstrated similar results in high-risk patients without established coronary heart disease. More recent angiographic trials revealed that cholesterol-lowering therapy will reduce progression of atherosclerosis and, in some cases, will reverse existing lesions. Use of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors also appears to be beneficial and safe. Evidence supports cholesterol-lowering therapy in high-risk patients, both with and without established atherosclerotic disease.
authors.affiliation: University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, USA.
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Grundy
mesh_terms: D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D002784:Cholesterol