Management of Dyslipidemia in Patients with Hypertension, Diabetes, and Metabolic Syndrome

The purpose of this review is to discuss dyslipidemia in the various common clinical conditions including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and metabolic syndrome and review the current therapeutic strategy in these settings.

Dyslipidemias are common in patients with hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and metabolic syndrome. Epidemiologic studies have shown a strong correlation between serum lipid levels and risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Multifactorial intervention strategies aimed at controlling lipids, blood pressure, and blood glucose simultaneously achieve maximal reductions in cardiovascular risk. Dyslipidemia and metabolic abnormalities are strongly associated with atherosclerosis and worse cardiovascular outcomes. While pharmacotherapy with statins has been proven to be beneficial for dyslipidemia, lifestyle modification emphasizing weight loss and regular exercise is an essential component of the interventional strategy. The common thread underlying atherosclerosis and metabolic abnormalities is endothelial dysfunction. Improved understanding of the role of endothelium in health and disease can potentially lead to novel therapies that may preempt development of atherosclerosis and its complications.