Cholesterol lowering in the elderly population. Coordinating Committee of the National Cholesterol Education Program.

The incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD) peaks in the elderly population. In secondary and primary prevention trials, cholesterol-lowering therapy reduces risk for CHD in both older and younger participants. This benefit, therefore, can be extended to the elderly.

Distributions and trends of serum lipid levels among United States children and adolescents ages 4-19 years: data from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

Background: Atherosclerosis begins in childhood and progresses into adulthood. The reduction of cardiovascular risk factors, such as elevated serum total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels, in childhood may reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in adulthood. Lipid distributions among children and adolescents were examined using the most recent nationally representative data.

Clinical trials of reducing low-density lipoprotein concentrations.

Much diverse evidence suggests that the plasma levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol play a causal role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic coronary heart disease. Until recently, clinical trials of LDL lowering, while showing significant reductions in coronary heart disease (CHD) rates, were not entirely convincing and left some questions of long-term toxicity unresolved. The results of a series of new trials using members of the powerful statin class of drugs are now being reported.