Should patients with high cardiovascular risk and an LDL-C concentration below 70 mg/dl be treated with aggressive statin therapy?

摘要

Coronary heart disease (CHD) is still the leading cause of death in most industrialized countries, although age-adjusted CHD prevalence has declined through risk factor modification and the use of evidence-based treatments [l]. Many epidemiologic studies have shown that total cholesterol and LDL-C concentrations are major risk factors for CHD [2,3]. The preventive benefits of reduced total cholesterol or LDL-C have been well established at primary and secondary levels [4]. Despite the wealth of data supporting the benefits of statin therapy however, clinical practice guidelines are relatively complex and difficult to use. Many questions still remain unanswered about how to use statins in routine clinical practice.