Lipid disorders: when--and why--you should treat at-risk adults.

Among the 650,000 Americans who die from coronary heart disease (CHD) each year, more than one-half are age 65 and older. Treatment of hypercholesterolemia has been shown to reduce the risk of CHD in middle-aged men, but whether older adults derive similar benefit remains controversial. Treatment of hypercholesterolemia does reduce risk of CHD and relative risk in some studies, and attributable risk in all studies seems to increase in older adults with high cholesterol. National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines have been updated and now include age as a major risk factor for CHD. The new guidelines place greater emphasis on CHD risk as a guide to type and intensity of treatment.