Management of hypercholesterolemia.

Benefit from the treatment of hyperlipidemia has now been conclusively documented, and this article has focused on the clinical trial data supporting diet and drug therapy in adult patients with different lipoprotein disorders and discussed therapeutic approaches with a focus on reducing plasma concentrations of LDL cholesterol. National guidelines for the use of hypolipidemic drugs are strongly supported by the clinical trials and have appropriately set lower target concentrations of LDL cholesterol for patients with established atherosclerosis or diabetic patients as compared with patients with more than two cardiovascular risk factors or, the lowest risk group, patients without evidence of atherosclerosis and fewer than two known cardiovascular risk factors. The goals of therapy in patients with established atherosclerosis are to prevent further progression and potentially induce regression, whereas in high-risk patients (e.g., those with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia) without evidence of atherosclerosis, the aims of therapy are to reduce LDL cholesterol to a concentration at which subclinical atherosclerosis and xanthomas regress and the patient does not develop premature cardiovascular disease. Evidence-based medicine strongly supports clinical benefit from the treatment of hypercholesterolemia in men and women with and without known coronary artery disease, and the main goal should be ensure that patients who could benefit from lipid-lowering therapy are effectively treated and followed to ensure long-term compliance, efficacy, and safety.