Abstract
Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of premature mortality and morbidity worldwide. Dyslipidemia is a commonly encountered clinical condition and is an important determinant of cardiovascular disease. The causality of plasma low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease has been established beyond any reasonable doubt. In this context, individual risk estimation, the determination of target values and lipid-lowering strategies represent an essential part and a challenge in the daily clinical practice to prevent cardiovascular events. Statins are recommended as first-line therapy for patients with hypercholesterolemia in secondary prevention. Controversies remain in the context of primary prevention, however, as to which kind of subjects to treat, the magnitude of the benefit, and potential harm. This article gives a brief overview of the current evidence, guideline recommendations and strategies for lowering of LDL-C in the primary prevention of cardiovascular disease.
Atherosklerotische Herz-Kreislauf-Erkrankungen (HKE) stellen weltweit die führende Ursache für frühzeitige Mortalität und Morbidität dar. Pathophysiologisch nimmt die Hyperlipidämie – insbesondere das erhöhte LDL-Cholesterin – eine zentrale und kausale Schlüsselrolle ein [1]. Dieser Beitrag gibt einen Überblick über aktuelle Studiendaten, Leitlinienempfehlungen und Strategien zur primärpräventiven Senkung eines erhöhten LDL-Cholesterins.
Schlüsselwörter
Hypercholesterinämie - Primärprävention - Nutzen-Risiko-Bewertung
Key words
hypercholesterolemia - primary prevention - individual risk estimation
