AHA’s 2018 Guidelines on Cholesterol

Here’s what the American Heart Association announced this past weekend: a 120-page research-based paper on new cholesterol guidelines and how the guidelines were developed. The paper was five years in the making, involved twelve medical and physician associations, and includes ten documents to explain and summarize what the guidelines say. For the foreseeable future, these will be the guidelines used by physicians trying to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The guidelines focus on control of LDL-cholesterol in combination with the state of the individual: those with and those without diagnosed disease. Primary prevention is for those who’ve not been diagnosed with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). Secondary prevention applies to those who have been diagnosed with ASCVD. The flow charts for treatment plans are complicated, even when isolated and presented on individual pages.

What I liked the most is that management of CV risk begins with a conversation between the physician and patient. The discussion revolves around risk factors, both lifestyle and the test results. The goal is to come to a consensus for treatment if a person’s CVD risk is high. What does that treatment involve? We’ll take a look on Thursday.

The Insiders Conference Call is tomorrow night. If you’re not an Insider yet, you still have time to join and take part in the call. I’ll be covering the latest research on omega-3s and vitamin D as well as answering your questions.

What are you prepared to do today?

Dr. Chet

 

Reference: www.ahajournals.org/doi/pdf/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000625.