Anticholesterol Drugs

Hyperlipidemia, or elevated blood cholesterol, is a widespread issue in the United States. The prevalence of adults in the United States receiving anticholesterol therapy has risen from 33 percent in 2009 to 2010 to almost 43 percent in 2011 to 2012. Roughly 1.5 million adults in the United States experience a cardiovascular event such as heart attack or stroke each year. Use of anticholesterol medications can significantly reduce the risk of such cardiovascular events.

There are several classifications of blood cholesterol that are measured on laboratory tests: total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL, known as “bad cholesterol”), high-density [Page 149]lipoprotein (HDL, known as “good cholesterol”), and triglycerides. Traditionally, treating to reach desirable cholesterol goals has been the standard for management of high cholesterol, with goals of total ...