Published in the American Journal of Cardiology, this review paper summarizes the role of non-HDL cholesterol in the pathophysiology of coronary heart disease (CHD). The National Cholesterol Education Program-Adult Treatment Panel III suggested that non-HDL cholesterol should be considered the secondary target of therapy after LDL cholesterol in patients with triglyceride levels above 2.26 mmol/l (200 mg/dl). It is well recognized that non-HDL cholesterol levels provide a fairly good estimate of the concentration of apolipoprotein B-containing particles, i.e., atherogenic lipoproteins. The association between non-HDL cholesterol and CHD risk is reviewed in this paper. Treatment options likely to help achieve non-HDL cholesterol goals are also discussed. The authors conclude that more aggressive therapy is needed to achieve non-HDL cholesterol goals than LDL cholesterol targets.
Documentation centre