[Which cholesterol-lowering drugs should be used in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease?].
BACKGROUND
Several clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of hypercholesterolaemia are available. The quality of these guidelines varies and the basis for their conclusions is often not clear. We have used systematic and explicit methods in developing a new set of recommendations. This is the last of three articles describing these guidelines.


METHODS
Evidence was found by a systematic search in databases and reference lists in guidelines and articles. A set of recommendations was prepared based on a critical appraisal of the literature. These were revised through discussions with a panel of physicians, and agreed upon after several iterations. The guidelines were circulated to professional, governmental and patient organisations.


CONCLUSIONS
Statins should be first-choice drugs for the treatment of hypercholesterolaemia. Total cholesterol below 5 mmol/l and/or LDL cholesterol below 3 mmol/l are the recommended treatment goals for persons at high risk of coronary heart disease.
Fretheim
Atle
A
Brannstasjonen legesenter Arendalsvei 26a 4898 Grimstad. atle.fretheim@shdir.no
Bjørndal
Arild
A
Oxman
Andrew D
AD
Dyrdal
Audun
A
Golding
Michael
M
Ose
Leiv
L
Reikvam
Asmund
A
Teisberg
Per
P
D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D009664:Norway; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011322:Primary Prevention
D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents