Therapies to increase high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and their effect on cardiovascular outcomes and regression of atherosclerosis.
Epidemiological studies have shown that decreased level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (C) is an independent inverse predictor of coronary artery disease (CAD) even in patients with normal levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-C. There is an abundance of evidence in favor of statins and aggressive LDL-C lowering therapy for both primary and secondary prevention of CAD. In contrast, the evidence for reduction of CAD risk with HDL-C raising therapy is relatively thin, partly due to the paucity of effective and safe drugs for increasing HDL-C level. However, there are emerging new therapies for raising HDL-C level and growing evidence in favor of pharmacologic therapies to raise HDL-C level. We present in this article a review of pharmacologic therapies that are currently available to increase HDL-C level, their safety and efficacy in relation to cardiovascular endpoints.
Venkatesh
Prasanna K
PK
Department of Medicine, Cardiology Division, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, Shreveport, Louisiana 71130, USA. vpkumar2004@yahoo.com
Caskey
David
D
Reddy
Pratap C
PC
D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D050197:Atherosclerosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000097:blood* / Q000188:drug therapy; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000924:Anticholesteremic Agents; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL