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
