Description

Hyperlipidaemia is an important risk factor for the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic vascular diseases, especially coronary heart disease. In addition to lifestyle changes, several drugs have been investigated in controlled clinical trials for their ability to correct dyslipidaemia and reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Notably, statins, which inhibit HMG CoA reductase and hence cholesterol synthesis, are very effective in reducing plasma levels of LDL cholesterol and help to reduce cardiovascular event rates. Since the early 1990s, this class of drugs has proved to be very successful in both primary and secondary prevention trials, encompassing >500,000 patient years of follow up.

Evidence & Efficacy: Lipid-Modifying Therapy aims to provide a convenient collection of the most important controlled clinical trials in the treatment of dyslipidaemia and prevention of cardiovascular disease. This anthology has been curated by Arnold von Eckardstein (Professor of Clinical Chemistry at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, past President of the German Society of Arteriosclerosis Research, and Vice-President of the International Task Force for the Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease).

It is a unique meta-reference of the evidence that underpins the prescribing guidance, with two-page synopses of each trial, including chapters on:
Major primary prevention trials with statins
Major secondary prevention trials with statins
Early statin treatment in acute coronary syndrome patients
Coronary heart disease prevention trials with statins in patients with diabetes or the metabolic syndrome
Coronary heart disease prevention in chronic kidney disease
Stroke prevention
Comparative hypolipidaemic efficacy, imaging and end point trials
Meta-analyses for efficacy, safety and cost-benefit calculations
Primary prevention trials with coronary heart disease end points using drugs that modify triglyceride-rich lipoproteins and/or HDL cholesterol
Secondary prevention trials with coronary heart disease end points using drugs thar modify triglyceride-rich lipoproteins and/or HDL cholesterol
Plus an informed discussion of emerging therapies.

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