What is happening in the real world in lipid therapy and is it appropriate? The need for a paradigm shift.
Cardiovascular disease is now the leading cause of death and disability in our society. Current strategies in the United States have been very effective in treating the symptomatic manifestations of severe obstructions but have done little to alter the long-term outcome of cardiovascular disease. Although lipid-lowering therapies have proven beneficial in secondary prevention for patients with cardiovascular disease, they are not as widely employed in contemporary practice as they should be. Better implementation of lipid-lowering therapies, including such major issues as clear treatment guidelines, physician and patient compliance, and delivery of healthcare and quality of care, must be addressed to shift thinking about the treatment of cardiovascular disease as we advance into the next century.
Smith
S C
SC
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Division of Cardiology, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7075, USA.