Treating low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol: what is the evidence?

Epidemiological studies have shown an inverse association between high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. However, genetic and interventional studies have failed to consistently support this relationship. There is an increasing body of evidence that the function of HDL, including its antiatherogenic properties and its reverse cholesterol transport activity, has a greater impact on CVD risk compared with levels of HDL alone. Targeting HDL has become a growing interest. Nevertheless, raising HDL pharmacologically has failed to show a considerable, if any, impact on cardiovascular outcome. Efforts should focus on improving HDL quality in addition to raising HDL levels when developing new therapies. Ongoing and future research will help determine the most safe and effective approach to improve cardiovascular outcome and establish the safety, efficacy and impact on atherosclerosis of the emerging HDL-raising therapies.