This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Grundy, S. M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Grundy, S. M.

(Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 2004;24:1329.)
© 2004 American Heart Association, Inc.

Editorials

A Summary of Implications of Recent Clinical Trials for the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III Guidelines

Scott M. Grundy; James I. Cleeman; C. Noel Bairey Merz; H. Bryan Brewer, Jr; Luther T. Clark; Donald B. Hunninghake^*; Richard C. Pasternak; Sidney C. Smith, Jr; Neil J. Stone for the Coordinating Committee of the National Cholesterol Education Program

Correspondence to Scott Grundy, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Center for Human Nutrition, Dallas, TX 75390-9052.

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

The Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) issued an evidence-based set of guidelines on cholesterol management in 2001. Since the publication of ATP III, five major clinical trials of statin therapy with clinical end points have been published. These trials addressed issues that were not examined in previous clinical trials of cholesterol-lowering therapy. An NCEP working group reviewed the results of these recent trials and assessed their implications for cholesterol management. These clinical trials strongly support the ATP III recommendation that LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) should be the primary target of lipid-lowering therapy. The trials confirm the benefit of cholesterol-lowering therapy in high-risk patients and support the ATP III treatment goal of LDL-C <100 mg/dL. In fact, they add to the growing evidence supporting the concept that, for LDL-C in high-risk patients, "the lower, the better" for reducing risk for major cardiovascular events (Figure). Although recent clinical trials focused on drug therapies for LDL lowering, the NCEP update affirms that therapeutic lifestyle changes (TLC) remain an essential modality in clinical management. TLC has the potential to reduce cardiovascular risk through several mechanisms beyond LDL lowering. Recent clinical trials support the inclusion of patients with diabetes in the high-risk category and confirm the benefits of LDL-lowering therapy in these patients. They further confirm that older persons benefit from therapeutic lowering of LDL-C. The major recommendations for modifications to footnote the ATP III treatment algorithm for LDL lowering are presented in the Table 1 and . . . [Full Text of this Article]

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. M Ordovas Genetic influences on blood lipids and cardiovascular disease risk: tools for primary prevention Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, May 1, 2009; 89(5): 1509S - 1517S. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. B. Goldberg, D. M. Kendall, M. A. Deeg, J. B. Buse, A. J. Zagar, J. A. Pinaire, M. H. Tan, M. A. Khan, A. T. Perez, S. J. Jacober, et al. A Comparison of Lipid and Glycemic Effects of Pioglitazone and Rosiglitazone in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes and Dyslipidemia Diabetes Care, July 1, 2005; 28(7): 1547 - 1554. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]