Management of cardiovascular risk: the importance of meeting lipid targets.

Strategies to reduce cardiovascular risk in primary and secondary prevention focus on optimization of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. Since the 2004 update of the Adult Treatment Panel (ATP) III guidelines, developments in the field of preventive cardiology have included new guidelines for women and for familial hypercholesterolemia; a risk assessment algorithm incorporating the inflammatory marker high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP); and clinical trial data confirming the efficacy of aggressive lipid management. Within secondary prevention in particular, there is a need for more widespread use of intensive statin therapy to achieve low LDL cholesterol levels to reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in patients at high risk for recurrent events. Within primary prevention, individuals with diabetes mellitus, mixed dyslipidemia, or elevated hsCRP also are at increased risk and may warrant treatment with aggressive lipid-modifying therapy. In this article, we provide an update on recent guidelines, risk algorithms, and trials related to the prevention and treatment of coronary artery disease.