PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Given the increasing burden of cardiovascular disease, we review the literature for earlier initiation of statin therapy at younger ages and lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, with the goal of preventing the development of atherosclerosis prior to clinical events. RECENT FINDINGS: There is a rising prevalence of dyslipidemia among younger adults. Although guidelines offer recommendations for adults over 40, there is little guidance for the management of younger adults with moderately elevated LDL-C levels. Earlier and more aggressive statin use may slow progression, or even halt atherosclerosis, and may likewise be beneficial and cost-effective on a population level. Further research is needed to define the exact age and LDL-C level at which to start statin therapy. Until then, more detailed risk stratification with lab testing and imaging should be used to identify younger adults at the highest risk.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Given the increasing burden of cardiovascular disease, we review the literature for earlier initiation of statin therapy at younger ages and lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, with the goal of preventing the development of atherosclerosis prior to clinical events. RECENT FINDINGS: There is a rising prevalence of dyslipidemia among younger adults. Although guidelines offer recommendations for adults over 40, there is little guidance for the management of younger adults with moderately elevated LDL-C levels. Earlier and more aggressive statin use may slow progression, or even halt atherosclerosis, and may likewise be beneficial and cost-effective on a population level. Further research is needed to define the exact age and LDL-C level at which to start statin therapy. Until then, more detailed risk stratification with lab testing and imaging should be used to identify younger adults at the highest risk.
Authors: Shuaib M Abdullah; Laura F Defina; David Leonard; Carolyn E Barlow; Nina B Radford; Benjamin L Willis; Anand Rohatgi; Darren K McGuire; James A de Lemos; Scott M Grundy; Jarett D Berry; Amit Khera Journal: Circulation Date: 2018-11-20 Impact factor: 29.690
Authors: Scott M Grundy; Neil J Stone; Alison L Bailey; Craig Beam; Kim K Birtcher; Roger S Blumenthal; Lynne T Braun; Sarah de Ferranti; Joseph Faiella-Tommasino; Daniel E Forman; Ronald Goldberg; Paul A Heidenreich; Mark A Hlatky; Daniel W Jones; Donald Lloyd-Jones; Nuria Lopez-Pajares; Chiadi E Ndumele; Carl E Orringer; Carmen A Peralta; Joseph J Saseen; Sidney C Smith; Laurence Sperling; Salim S Virani; Joseph Yeboah Journal: Circulation Date: 2018-11-10 Impact factor: 29.690
Authors: Terry A Jacobson; Matthew K Ito; Kevin C Maki; Carl E Orringer; Harold E Bays; Peter H Jones; James M McKenney; Scott M Grundy; Edward A Gill; Robert A Wild; Don P Wilson; W Virgil Brown Journal: J Clin Lipidol Date: 2015-04-07 Impact factor: 4.766
Authors: Michael J Domanski; Xin Tian; Colin O Wu; Jared P Reis; Amit K Dey; Yuan Gu; Lihui Zhao; Sejong Bae; Kiang Liu; Ahmed A Hasan; David Zimrin; Michael E Farkouh; Charles C Hong; Donald M Lloyd-Jones; Valentin Fuster Journal: J Am Coll Cardiol Date: 2020-09-29 Impact factor: 24.094
Authors: Donna K Arnett; Roger S Blumenthal; Michelle A Albert; Andrew B Buroker; Zachary D Goldberger; Ellen J Hahn; Cheryl Dennison Himmelfarb; Amit Khera; Donald Lloyd-Jones; J William McEvoy; Erin D Michos; Michael D Miedema; Daniel Muñoz; Sidney C Smith; Salim S Virani; Kim A Williams; Joseph Yeboah; Boback Ziaeian Journal: J Am Coll Cardiol Date: 2019-03-17 Impact factor: 24.094
Authors: François Mach; Colin Baigent; Alberico L Catapano; Konstantinos C Koskinas; Manuela Casula; Lina Badimon; M John Chapman; Guy G De Backer; Victoria Delgado; Brian A Ference; Ian M Graham; Alison Halliday; Ulf Landmesser; Borislava Mihaylova; Terje R Pedersen; Gabriele Riccardi; Dimitrios J Richter; Marc S Sabatine; Marja-Riitta Taskinen; Lale Tokgozoglu; Olov Wiklund Journal: Eur Heart J Date: 2020-01-01 Impact factor: 29.983
Authors: Jan Borén; M John Chapman; Ronald M Krauss; Chris J Packard; Jacob F Bentzon; Christoph J Binder; Mat J Daemen; Linda L Demer; Robert A Hegele; Stephen J Nicholls; Børge G Nordestgaard; Gerald F Watts; Eric Bruckert; Sergio Fazio; Brian A Ference; Ian Graham; Jay D Horton; Ulf Landmesser; Ulrich Laufs; Luis Masana; Gerard Pasterkamp; Frederick J Raal; Kausik K Ray; Heribert Schunkert; Marja-Riitta Taskinen; Bart van de Sluis; Olov Wiklund; Lale Tokgozoglu; Alberico L Catapano; Henry N Ginsberg Journal: Eur Heart J Date: 2020-06-21 Impact factor: 29.983
Authors: Michel Zeitouni; Michael G Nanna; Jie-Lena Sun; Karen Chiswell; Eric D Peterson; Ann Marie Navar Journal: J Am Coll Cardiol Date: 2020-08-11 Impact factor: 27.203
Authors: George Thanassoulis; Ken Williams; Keying Ye; Robert Brook; Patrick Couture; Patrick R Lawler; Jacqueline de Graaf; Curt D Furberg; Allan Sniderman Journal: J Am Heart Assoc Date: 2014-04-14 Impact factor: 5.501