Focus on HDL: a new treatment paradigm for athero-thrombotic vascular disease.

Atherosclerotic vascular disease is the leading cause of mortality and morbidity in much of the Western world. Although advances in lifestyle and risk factor modification, pharmacotherapy, endovascular interventions and surgery have considerably improved clinical outcome, 40 - 50% of adverse cardiovascular events continue to occur despite current strategies. A number of new targets for therapeutic exploitation are currently being investigated that include, among others, apolipoprotein A-I, the major structural component of high density lipoprotein (HDL) particle. The strong negative relationship between HDL-cholesterol levels and coronary heart disease in epidemiological studies, as well as data from experimental models suggest that HDL-based therapies could be an important new paradigm for prevention, treatment and reversal of atherosclerotic vascular disease.