By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    improving patient experience
    6 Ways to Improve Patient Satisfaction Within Hospitals
    December 1, 2021
    degree for healthcare job
    What Are The Health Benefits Of Having A Degree?
    March 9, 2022
    custom software development is changing healthcare
    Digital Customer Journey Mapping and its Importance for Healthcare
    July 21, 2022
    Latest News
    Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
    May 16, 2025
    Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
    May 16, 2025
    Choosing the Right Supplement Manufacturer for Your Brand
    May 1, 2025
    Engineering Temporary Hospitals for Extreme Weather
    April 24, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Can Thinking Younger Make You Live Longer?
    April 20, 2011
    Image
    Obesity’s Outlook Unchanged
    June 13, 2011
    When It’s An Emergency Elderly Not Treated As Well in Hospitals
    July 16, 2011
    Latest News
    Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
    May 18, 2025
    The Critical Role of Healthcare in Personal Injury Recovery: A Comprehensive Guide for Victims
    May 14, 2025
    The Backbone of Successful Trials: Clinical Data Management
    April 28, 2025
    Advancing Your Healthcare Career through Education and Specialization
    April 16, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: New Blood Cholesterol Guidelines
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Specialties > Cardiology > New Blood Cholesterol Guidelines
CardiologyNewsPolicy & LawPublic HealthWellness

New Blood Cholesterol Guidelines

psalber
Last updated: November 14, 2013 9:00 am
psalber
Share
5 Min Read
blood cholesterol
SHARE

blood cholesterolThe American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) have released the first update in almost ten years to guide treatment of blood cholesterol to prevent atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD).  There are some big changes that will undoubtedly be controversial, including a statement by the Expert Panel that developed the guidelines that there is no randomized

blood cholesterolThe American College of Cardiology (ACC) and the American Heart Association (AHA) have released the first update in almost ten years to guide treatment of blood cholesterol to prevent atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD).  There are some big changes that will undoubtedly be controversial, including a statement by the Expert Panel that developed the guidelines that there is no randomized clinical trial (RCT) evidence to support continued use of specific LDL-C and/or non-HDL-C treatment targets.

Who Should be Considered for Treatment with Statins?

The report starts by stating that healthy lifestyle is the foundation for ASCVD risk reduction.  You know the drill:  heart healthy diet, regular exercise, no tobacco, and maintenance of a healthy weight.

More Read

Unnecessary Health Care Expenditures
Health Inequality and Modern-Day Slavery
Physician Ratings: One Orthopedic Doctor’s Experience
A Better Way to Approach Medicare’s Impossible Task
Healthcare and the FCC Duke it Out Over TCPA

Then, they detail the four major groups of people who could benefit from statin treatment:

  1. Individuals with clinical ASCVD, including not just people with prior heart attacks, angina, or coronary artery disease resulting in a stent or bypass but also people with atherosclerotic stroke, TIA, or peripheral arterial disease.
  2. People with primary elevations of LDL-C of 190 mg/dL or greater
  3. Diabetics 40-75 years old with LDL-C of 70-189 mg/dl
  4. Individuals, 40-75, without clinical ASCVD or diabetes with a LDL of 70-189 mg/dL, but an estimated absolute 10-year risk of ASCVD (nonfatal MI, CHD death, nonfatal and fatal stroke).  The risk should be estimated using what they call Pooled Cohort Equations.  Here’s a link to the downloadable risk calculator.

What are the Treatment Recommendations?

 If the individual is a candidate for statin therapy by being in one of the four groups described above, then they should be treated with either a high- or moderate-intensity statin regimen.  The high dose regimen is defined as the daily dose that will lower LDL-C by 50% or more; moderate is the dose that lowers LDL-C by 30-<50%.

People 75 years old and above with clinical ascvd, those with LDL-C 190 mg/dL or greater, and those with diabetes and an estimated 10 year ASCVD risk > 7.5% should be treated with a high-intensity regimen.  Everyone else should get a moderate intensity regimen.  Individuals who are unable to tolerate or not candidates for high dose regimens should be treated with the moderate intensity dosing and those individuals, 40-75, without ASCVD, LDL-C 190 or greater,  or diabetes will be treated with either a moderate or high intensity statin regimen.

The guideline points out that people with class II or IV heart failure or those on hemodialysis are unlikely to benefit from statin therapy despite being at high risk for ASCVD.

Treat to Target?

 Prior guidelines have emphasized the need to treat to target leading to escalating doses and multi-drug regimens.  The Expert panel says there are three problems with this approach:

  1. Current clinical trial data do not indicate what the target should be
  2. We don’t know mow much additional risk reduction could be achieved with a lower target compared to another target
  3. The treat to target strategy did not take potential adverse effects of these more intensive regimens into account.

The Panel states that treating according to the level of ASCVD risk using moderate or high intensity therapy  takes into account both the benefits of ASCVD risk reduction and the adverse effects of statin treatment based on a huge body of RCT evidence.  It is also simpler to implement.

How to Get the Guideline

The guideline can be found on the AHA website and it is certainly worth reading cover to cover.  There is likely to be a lot of discussion about these recommendations, particularly the one to treat based on risk group rather than treat to target.  And, it is likely to take a while before clinicians fully embrace these new recommendations and put them into practice.   But it is refreshing to know that many many experts in the subject have reviewed, discussed and debated the literature and placed the results before us in the form of this guideline.  Evidence rules (I hope)!

(Photo: SPL/Photo Researchers, Inc.)

TAGGED:cholesterol
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Clinical Expertise
Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
Health care
May 18, 2025
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Grounded Healing: A Natural Ally for Sustainable Healthcare Systems
Health
May 15, 2025
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Learn how to Renew your Medical Card in West Virginia
Health
May 15, 2025
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction heart treatment
Dr. Klaus Rentrop Shares Acute Myocardial Infarction
Cardiology
May 13, 2025

You Might also Like

BusinessMedical RecordsNews

Stage 2 of Meaningful Use Delayed to 2014

December 2, 2011
Image
Medical Education

How to Educate and Empower Patients: Thoughts From an Expert

February 26, 2014
Health care

Medigap Healthcare Plan 101: What To Know About Enrolling In 2020

February 12, 2020
Home HealthWellness

Here’s How To Manage Anxiety If You’re Struggling With Symptoms

January 23, 2019
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?