Lipid lowering in patients 75 years and older.

More than twenty years ago, knowledge about the importance of cholesterol absorption and the potential therapeutic effect of its inhibition led to the discovery and clinical application of the first and only cholesterol absorption inhibitor to date - ezetimibe. Since then, ezetimibe has become a well-recognized player in lipid-lowering therapy. Recent findings of IMPROVE-IT and EWTOPIA 75 imply that elderly patients over the age of 75 years in particular benefit from ezetimibe. This review summarizes the evidence, discusses the possible underlying pathophysiological mechanisms and calls for a change in future dyslipidemia guidelines.