Nonfasting Lipid Profile May Suffice to Manage Dyslipidemia

Patients with major mental illness and especially those who receive antipsychotic drugs are at increased risk of metabolic syndrome. Dyslipidemia is part of the metabolic syndrome. Dyslipidemia is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and other diseases. A fasting lipid profile is traditionally ordered to determine the need for and to monitor lipid-lowering treatment. However, a recent study showed that fasting and nonfasting lipid levels, obtained from the same patients, almost identically predicted hard 3-year cardiovascular event risks; the risks with fasting and nonfasting levels were closely similar in various secondary analyses, as well. This supports the stance of major medical associations in the field to accept nonfasting lipid levels to guide the treatment of dyslipidemia in the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease events.