Reducing cardiac deaths with hypolipidemic drugs

Preview

While deaths due to coronary artery disease have declined in recent decades, the recommendation of new cutoff points for defining hypercholesterolemia and the introduction of new lip- id-lowering agents promise even greater reductions. In this article, Dr Naito shares his experience in the use of hypolipidemic agents, focusing on the rationale for treating persons at risk for coronary artery disease, the new National Institutes of Health cholesterol guidelines for defining persons at risk, and treatment with currently available cholesterol-lowering agents. Special attention is given to issues of patient compliance.