title: New features of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III lipid-lowering guidelines.
abstract: The National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) guidelines for lipid-lowering therapy to reduce coronary heart disease (CHD) risk contain a number of features that distinguish them from the previous ATP guidelines. These new features include modifications in lipid/lipoprotein levels considered optimal, abnormal, or reflective of risk; increased focus on primary prevention through use of Framingham risk scoring to define risk in persons with multiple lipid/nonlipid risk factors; and increased focus on the association of the metabolic syndrome with CHD risk. The introduction of the category of CHD risk equivalents-including persons with atherosclerotic disease, diabetes, or 10-year CHD risk > 20% based on Framingham scoring-results in an increase over previous guidelines in the proportion of patients categorized as being at high risk and therefore eligible for more intensive low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)-lowering therapy. Use of the new secondary therapeutic target of non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol should improve management of lipid risk factors in patients who have elevated triglyceride levels after LDL-C goals have been met. These new features of the NCEP ATP III guidelines should improve identification and treatment of patients with dyslipidemias associated with CHD risk.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Disease Branch, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, USA. bryan@mail.nih.gov
authors.forename: H Bryan
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Brewer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000517:prevention & control; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000628:therapy*; D006949:Hyperlipidemias / Q000628:therapy; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood*; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000517:prevention & control; D008875:Middle Aged; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012307:Risk Factors; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D008055:Lipids; D014280:Triglycerides