Keystones in hypercholesterolemia treatment epidemiology

Abstract

Pharmacological treatments for hypercholesterolemia have come with clinical trials confirming their benefits for decades. This review points to some of them only for the sake of the rational of this paper, focusing mainly on statins and PCSK 9 inhibitors. This review intends to describe not only drug but also lifestyle and interventional trials. As such, the examples of The Seven Countries Study, Framingham Study, MRFIT (Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial), Helsinki Heart Study, The Lifestyle Heart Study, SCOR, POSCH - Surgical Control Program of Hyperlipidemias, CLAS - Study on Cholesterol Reduction in Atherosclerosis, MARS - Follow-up study on Atherosclerosis Regression, FATS - Study on the Treatment of Familial Atherosclerosis, ACAPS (Asymptomatic Carotid Artery Progression Study), PLAC (Pravastatin, Lipids and Atherosclerosis in Carotid), Lipid Research Clinics Primary Prevention Trial, Coronary Drug Project, Who Study, BIP Study, Helsinki Heart Study, BECAIT Trial, EXCEL Trial, CARE Trial, 4S Trial, WOSCOPS Trial, ODISSEY Trial, and the HAUSER-CT Trial. In view of all these evidences treating high cholesterol is a priority not only in secondary but in primary prevention too. One should also remember that the cost of coronary treatment should include all procedures inherent to the evolution of the disease, such as: hospital admissions, cardiac catheterization, angioplasty, myocardial revascularization surgery and heart disease rehabilitation, among others, without forgetting the damage caused by the removal of these patients from work.