LDL Cholesterol: The Lower the Better - 04/03/12

Doi : 10.1016/j.mcna.2012.01.009

Seth S. Martin, MD ^a, Roger S. Blumenthal, MD ^a, Michael Miller, MD ^b,^⁎
^a Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Heart Disease, 600 North Wolfe Street, Carnegie 565-G, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA
^b Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, Center for Preventive Cardiology, University of Maryland Medical Center, 22 South Greene Street, Room S3B06, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA

Corresponding author.

Resumen

High cholesterol is often a prerequisite for atherosclerotic plaque. Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) is the focus of the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel guidelines. LDL-C ranges from 50 to 70 mg/dL in native hunter-gatherers, healthy human neonates, free-living primates, and other wild mammals, who are notably free of atherosclerotic vascular disease. Multiple statin trials and meta-analyses support a treatment target of LDL-C levels less than 70 mg/dL, as this is associated with improved clinical outcomes and atherosclerosis regression. In fact, no threshold has yet been identified below which patients do not benefit from lowering of LDL-C.

El texto completo de este artículo está disponible en PDF.

Keywords : Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, Coronary risk, Statins, Atherosclerosis