Will serum lipid lowering treatment reduce the incidence of coronary heart disease?
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Serum lipid lowering treatment shows no definitive evidence of reducing coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality. However, it significantly reduces non-fatal myocardial infarctions, with benefits proportional to cholesterol reduction.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Preventive Medicine
- Lipid Metabolism
Background:
- The efficacy of serum lipid lowering treatment in reducing coronary heart disease (CHD) incidence has been debated.
- Previous studies have yielded mixed results regarding mortality benefits.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze major preventive trials to determine if lipid lowering treatment impacts CHD mortality and morbidity.
- To assess the relationship between cholesterol reduction and CHD event reduction.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review and analysis of major preventive trials on lipid lowering therapy.
- Comparison of CHD incidence, mortality, and myocardial infarction rates between treatment and control groups.
Main Results:
- No unequivocal evidence supports lipid lowering treatment reducing CHD death rates.
- A majority of trials indicated a trend towards reduced CHD deaths in treatment groups.
- Strong evidence demonstrates a reduction in non-fatal myocardial infarctions in hyperlipidemic patients receiving treatment.
Conclusions:
- Lipid lowering treatment effectively reduces the incidence of non-fatal myocardial infarctions.
- The reduction in cardiovascular events is directly proportional to the achieved degree of cholesterol lowering.
Abstract:
The question whether serum lipid lowering treatment will reduce the incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) has been a matter of intense debate during the last few years. When analysing the results from the major preventive trials, it can be concluded that there is no unequivocal evidence that lipid lowering treatment will reduce the death rate in CHD. However, the great majority of the trials performed have shown a reduced number of CHD deaths in the treatment group, compared with the control group. There is strong evidence that lipid lowering treatment of hyperlipidaemic patients will reduce the incidence of non-fatal myocardial infarctions. This reduction is directly proportional to the degree of cholesterol lowering achieved.