Population-based screening in children for early diagnosis and treatment of familial hypercholesterolemia: design of the VRONI study.

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is the most frequent monogenic disorder (prevalence 1:250) in the general population. Early diagnosis during childhood enables pre-emptive treatment, thus reducing the risk of severe atherosclerotic manifestations later in life. Nonetheless, FH screening programs are scarce.

Population-based screening in children for early diagnosis and treatment of familial hypercholesterolemia: design of the VRONI study.

Background: Heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) represents the most frequent monogenic disorder with an estimated prevalence of 1:250 in the general population. Diagnosis during childhood enables early initiation of preventive measures, reducing the risk of severe consecutive atherosclerotic manifestations. Nevertheless, population-based screening programs for FH are scarce.

[Therapy of Hypercholesterolemia in Primary Prevention].

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of premature mortality and morbidity worldwide. Dyslipidemia is a commonly encountered clinical condition and is an important determinant of cardiovascular disease. The causality of plasma low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) in the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease has been established beyond any reasonable doubt.

Dyslipidemias and Cardiovascular Prevention: Tailoring Treatment According to Lipid Phenotype.

Purpose Of Review: This study aimed to present the current information on the genetic background of dyslipidemias and provide insights into the complex pathophysiological role of several plasma lipids/lipoproteins in the pathogenesis of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, we aim to summarize established therapies and describe the scientific rationale for the development of novel therapeutic strategies.

Recent Findings: Evidence from genetic studies suggests that besides lowering low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, pharmacological reduction of triglyceride-rich lipoproteins, or lipoprotein(a) will reduce risk for coronary heart disease.

Increased Plasma Concentrations of Soluble ST2 Independently Predict Mortality but not Cardiovascular Events in Stable Coronary Heart Disease Patients: 13-Year Follow-up of the KAROLA Study.

Purpose: sST2 (soluble suppression of tumorigenicity 2), a member of the interleukin-1 family, has been suggested to play a role in cardiac remodeling and inflammatory signaling. We assessed the association between sST2 in patients with stable coronary heart disease (CHD) with multiple cardiovascular outcomes and total mortality, simultaneously controlling for a large number of potential confounders.

Methods: Plasma concentrations of sST2 (ELISA, Critical Diagnostics) were measured at baseline in a cohort of 1081 patients.

[Lipid-lowering therapy in Europe and the United States - treat to target or fire and forget?].

The 2013 AHA/ ACC guidelines on the assessment of cardiovascular risk recommend high-dose statin treatment to reduce LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) by at least 30-50% without suggesting a specific target value 1. Favoring a strict Evidence Based Medicine approach the authors focus on randomized clinical trials only and neglect a target value since none of the randomized trials has titrated statin therapy to a specific LDL-C concentration. This is in contrast to current European guidelines.

[ASA - from cardiovascular to cancer prevention].

Cardiovascular disease and cancer are the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Low-dose ASA has been shown to effectively prevent about one fifth of atherothrombotic vascular complications in patients with previous myocardial infarction, peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD), or stroke 2. In secondary prevention, the benefits of antiplatelet therapy substantially exceed its risk 2.