By focusing on total cholesterol alone, primary care is guilty of not going far enough to address cardiovascular residual risk.
Through extensive landmark clinical studies, the use of statins to reduce the level of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and the risk of cardiovascular events has been demonstrated unequivocally, and now the treatment makes up the mainstay of lipid management. However, this has caused some clinicians to ask, ‘Does the overwhelming focus on total cholesterol and LDL-C mean that current practice overlooks certain lipid parameters and the residual risk which remains after statin therapy, particularly in high-risk groups?’
