Peer Reviewed
Feature Article Pharmacology and therapeutics
CPD
Complete 1.5 CPD hours

Update on lipid management: commonly asked questions

Ian Hamilton-craig
Go To
CPD
Abstract
LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) target levels in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) are getting lower. New statin combinations will be more cost effective than present combinations and will help to achieve LDL-C targets. These and other drugs in development promise a new era in CVD prevention.
Key Points
  • Always repeat an abnormal lipid profile when checking for secondary causes of dyslipidaemia.
  • Initiate statin therapy at a dose to achieve target LDL-C levels without dose titration. Check lipid profile, creatine kinase, liver enzymes and symptoms six to 12 weeks after statin initiation or up-titration.
  • Add ezetimibe if target LDL-C is not achieved on maximum tolerated dose of statin.
  • Check alcohol, refined carbohydrate and fat intakes in patients with high TG levels.
  • Fibrates and high-dose fish oils are more effective than statins at lowering TG levels.
  • Fenofibrate is preferred to gemfibrozil for combination with statins.
  • A low HDL-C level is often secondary to a high TG level; the TG level should be controlled before treating to raise the HDL-C level.
  • Any move towards target levels is of potential benefit, even though targets may not be reached.
Get full access
Subscribe for full access to all articles
Buy this article

Single article purchases are temporarily unavailable due to site maintenance.

If you would like to purchase an article during this time, please email us at [email protected] with the article details and we'll assist you directly. We'll also let you know when online purchasing is available again.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Already a subscriber?