Epitome: New Guidelines and Recommendations on the Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of Patients with Undesirable Cholesterol Levels

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Abstract
To help reduce the prevalence of elevated blood cholesterol levels in adult Americans, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) launched the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) in 1985. The program aims to raise awareness and understanding about high blood cholesterol levels as a risk for coronary artery disease (CAD) and the benefits of lowering cholesterol levels as a means of preventing CAD. This national awareness program is aimed at three target groups: (1) health professions, (2) the public and patient, and (3) the community. This article summarizes the highlights of the NHLBI NCEP Laboratory Standardization Panel’s (LSP) report and the Adult Treatment Panel’s (ATP) report. The LSP report emphasized the need for accurate and precise cholesterol measurements and evaluated the current state of reliability of these measurements. It also described the degree to which accurate and precise cholesterol measurements are possible based on currently available instrumentation, reagents, and methods. The LSP report made a series of broad recommendations designed to improve laboratory performance that are discussed in this article. The ATP’s report established criteria that define candidates with high blood cholesterol levels who should receive medical intervention and provided guidelines on how to detect, set goals, treat, and monitor these patients over time. For the first time in medical history there is a consensus by leading experts in the field on the measurement, detection, and treatment of patients with hypercholesterolemia. The detailed recommendations of the LSP and ATP should have a major impact on 40 million adults in the United States and may save approximately 300,000 lives annually.

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