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Published on: June 29, 2013
Lipid management and peripheral arterial disease
S S Daskalopoulou1, M E Daskalopoulos, D P Mikhailidis
1Department of Medicine, Division of Clinical Epidemiology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Current Drug Targets
|April 14, 2007
Summary
Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) management involves symptom relief and preventing cardiovascular events. Lipid-lowering drugs significantly improve PAD symptoms and reduce vascular events by lowering low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol.
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Vascular Surgery
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a prevalent condition often linked to widespread arterial disease and cardiovascular risk factors like smoking, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and diabetes.
- Effective PAD management requires addressing both symptom alleviation and the prevention of secondary cardiovascular complications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the evidence supporting the use of lipid-lowering drugs in the medical management of peripheral arterial disease (PAD).
- To evaluate the impact of lipid-lowering therapies on symptom improvement and secondary cardiovascular event prevention in PAD patients.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of clinical trials investigating the efficacy of lipid-lowering drugs in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD).
- Analysis of data focusing on the achievement of target low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels and associated clinical outcomes.
Main Results:
- Clinical trials demonstrate that achieving low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels below 2.6 mmol/l (100 mg/dl), or even lower, is associated with symptom improvement in PAD patients.
- Lowering LDL-C levels is linked to a significant reduction in vascular events among individuals with peripheral arterial disease.
Conclusions:
- Lipid-lowering drug therapy is a crucial component of comprehensive medical management for peripheral arterial disease (PAD).
- Aggressive lipid-lowering, targeting low LDL-C levels, offers benefits in symptom management and secondary cardiovascular event prevention for PAD patients.
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