Current Low-density Lipoprotein Cholesterol Research Articles

Treatment target achievement in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia: A real-world descriptive study

BackgroundStatin and ezetimibe represent the first line of lipid-lowering therapy in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH), a disease associated with a strong cardiovascular risk. The current low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) target achievement rate in a real-world context using these conventional treatments has never been investigated in the Province of Quebec (Canada). ObjectiveThe primary objective of this study was to evaluate the proportion of FH patients in primary cardiovascular prevention who attained their recommended LDL-C threshold without being treated with a PCSK9 inhibitor. MethodsPatients included in this retrospective study were followed at the Lipid Clinic of the Montreal Clinical Research Institute. All patients were molecularly defined (97%) or had a definite clinical diagnosis of FH. ResultsA total of 225 patients were included in this study, of which 73% were on high-intensity statin therapy. While two-thirds of the cohort achieved the LDL-C treatment target of ≥ 50% reduction from baseline, only one third attained the target of < 2.5 mmol/L (<97 mg/dL). However, patients on high-intensity statin therapy were two times more likely to achieve the < 2.5 mmol/L targets as compared to those treated with low or moderate statin intensity (p = 0.01). There was no significant difference in treatment target achievement between men and women. ConclusionTarget achievement rate was unacceptably low in our FH patients. Conventional lipid-lowering treatments alone may not be sufficient in most FH patients to ensure adequate cardiovascular prevention.

Serum lipids and memory in a population based cohort of middle age women

Objective:To assess the relation between serum lipids and memory in a healthy middle age cohort of women. Methods: For 326 women in the Melbourne Women’s Midlife Health Project aged 52–63...

Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol targets in 2003

There is considerable evidence suggesting that the current low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) goals to prevent coronary heart disease could be lower. This evidence includes calculations of physiological LDL-cholesterol levels and data from observational and interventional epidemiologic studies, including the Heart Protection Study. However, Heart Protection Study data can also be taken to support a strategy based on percentage reductions in LDL-C rather than a strategy of attaining absolute values of LDL-C. More effective LDL-C lowering agents, as well as combination drug therapy, will reduce LDL-C more efficiently, but it remains to be documented that such therapy is accompanied by greater reduction in risk for coronary heart disease. Moreover, even very intensive therapy will not reduce LDL-C to physiological concentrations in many patients. These considerations justify increasing emphasis on reduction in overall, multifactorial risk in individual patients at the expense of a focus on individual risk factors.