Recent progress in the management of atherosclerosis and hyperlipidemia

Abstract

Despite the positive trend over the last decade, mortality from the circulatory system diseases in the Russian Federation remains high: in 2016, 616 cases per 100 thousand people were registered, with an absolute loss of about 900 thousand people, of whom nearly 50% died from coronary artery disease (CAD). Atherosclerosis plays a critical role in the development of cardiovascular disease, as the damage to the arterial bed begins early - already at a young age. The major modifiable risk factors for atherosclerosis are hyperlipidemia, hypertension, diabetes, smoking. The leading risk factor for coronary atherosclerosis is lowdensity lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). According to EUROASPIRE III, in Russia, hypercholesterolemia is found in 65% of patients with CAD (LDL-C above 3 mmol/l). According to many large randomized trials and meta-analyses, there is evidence that statins which constitute the major class of lipid-lowering drugs are effective in the reduction of LDL-C in both primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular events.