[Antilipemics: results of large studies]

The prevention of cardiovascular diseases is an important aim in public health. As hyperlipidaemia is one of the main causes of cardiovascular disease, a number of clinical trials have involved the testing of hypolipidaemic drug, i.e. statins, colestyramine, and gemfibrozil, and have shown their effectiveness in reducing the incidence of nonfatal myocardial infarction and coronary death. Moreover, the use of statins has lead to a decrease in coronary mortality, hence a decrease in total mortality. Their efficacy was irrespective of the initial LDL-cholesterol level or atherosclerotic risk, regardless of age or gender. This demonstration of the effectiveness of hypolipidaemic drugs leads to the recommendation of there use in individuals with high atherosclerotic risk, particularly in those patients with a history of coronary heart disease or diabetes mellitus.