UMMS Affiliation
Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine
Publication Date
2015-06-18
Document Type
Editorial
Disciplines
Cardiology | Cardiovascular Diseases | Lipids
Abstract
The so-called LDL hypothesis is the concept that excess low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is a causal factor in the development of atherosclerotic vascular disease. By extension, this hypothesis also assumes that reducing LDL cholesterol levels, regardless of the means, should produce a corresponding reduction in cardiovascular events. Considerable evidence supports the LDL hypothesis, including animal studies and epidemiologic studies involving humans, as well as clinical trials of both statins and nonstatin lipid-modifying agents. In a meta-analysis that included more than 90,000 participants in 14 randomized trials of statins, the Cholesterol Treatment Trialists’ (CTT) collaborators found that, on average, a reduction of 1 mmol per liter (38.7 mg per deciliter) in LDL cholesterol levels yields a consistent 23% reduction in the risk of major coronary events over 5 years.
Keywords
Acute Coronary Syndromes, Coronary Disease, Myocardial Infarction, Lipids, Prevention
Rights and Permissions
Copyright © 2015 Massachusetts Medical Society. Publisher PDF posted after 6 months as allowed by the publisher's author rights policy at https://www.nejm.org/page/author-center/permissions.
DOI of Published Version
10.1056/NEJMe1507041
Source
N Engl J Med. 2015 Jun 18;372(25):2448-50. doi: 10.1056/NEJMe1507041. Epub 2015 Jun 3. Link to article on publisher's site
Journal/Book/Conference Title
The New England journal of medicine
Related Resources
PubMed ID
26039520
Repository Citation
Jarcho, John A. and Keaney, John F. Jr., "Proof That Lower Is Better--LDL Cholesterol and IMPROVE-IT" (2015). Cardiovascular Medicine Publications and Presentations. 93.
https://escholarship.umassmed.edu/cardio_pp/93
Included in
Cardiology Commons, Cardiovascular Diseases Commons, Lipids Commons