Contemporary management of hyperlipidemia in women

The objective of this paper is to review prospective, large-scale studies of lipid-lowering therapy and hormone replacement therapy, and to provide clinical recommendations for the management of hyperlipidemia in women within the context of the revised National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) guidelines.

Recent English language literature derived from a MEDLINE search (January 1990-July 2001) and bibliographies of relevant papers were reviewed, and data were abstracted from identified papers.

Hyperlipidemia is largely undertreated in women. Previously, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) was considered first-line treatment for the management of hypercholesterolemia to prevent coronary artery disease (CAD) in women. Recent studies, however, show no benefit of HRT for secondary prevention of coronary events, despite its beneficial effects on lipids. Large-scale, controlled clinical trials indicate that women, even those with only moderately elevated cholesterol, benefit from the lipid-lowering effects of statins for both high-risk primary and secondary prevention of CAD. Based on this evidence, the recently revised NCEP guidelines recommend statins as first-line therapy for women with hyperlipidemia, an approach that is supported by the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology. With its emphasis on aggressive intervention for persons with multiple risk factors, the new guidelines substantially increase the number of women eligible for pharmacological therapy.

All women with hyperlipidemia should receive counseling regarding lifestyle approaches for lowering cholesterol. The decision to use HRT should be made in the context of other conditions hormones may affect. Alternative hormonal regimens for lipid management may include selective estrogen receptor modulators and phytoestrogens, but results of randomized clinical trials are necessary before firm recommendations can be made regarding their clinical value in preventing CAD.