Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:1.1.1.194 (CAD)
 4,384 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Low HDL cholesterol levels have been found to be a risk factor for CAD. To date, the focus of treating hyperlipidemia has been on lowering LDL cholesterol levels. Now, as more and more compelling data are reported, it is time to begin focusing more energy on how to raise HDL cholesterol levels. If exercise, smoking cessation, and moderate alcohol consumption fail to achieve HDL cholesterol goals, niacin, fibric acid derivatives, or statin drugs may prove helpful in patients at high risk of CAD.
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PMID:The emerging role of HDL cholesterol. Is it time to focus more energy on raising high-density lipoprotein levels? 1112 45

Lp(a) is an independent risk factor for recurrent atherosclerotic heart disease in men and women after menopause. Excess levels of Lp(a) are seen in both males and females, more common in Africans, African Americans, and Asian populations than in whites. Since the standard lipid profile does not report Lp(a), it has to be ordered separately. Screening for Lp(a) should be considered under the following circumstances: (a) patient or family history of premature atherosclerotic heart disease, (b) familial history of hyperlipidemia, (c) established atherosclerotic heart disease with a normal routine lipid profile, (d) hyperlipidemia refractory to therapy, and (e) history of recurrent arterial stenosis. Treatment options are (a) a new extended-release form of niacin 3 to 4 g daily (although most effective in lowering Lp(a) and in reducing atherosclerotic heart disease mortality rates, its use may be limited because of side effects); (b) estrogen replacement after menopause, (however, concomitant progesterone therapy dilutes the effectiveness of estrogens); (c) lowering LDL with statins (generally effective in atherosclerotic heart disease but has no effect on Lp(a) levels), (d) aspirin and antibiotics (may be effective when C-reactive protein levels are high); and (e) folic acid (reduces homocysteine levels). The general measures that halt the progression of CAD should always be adhered to, namely, maintaining normal weight, a daily exercise program, blood pressure control, a low-cholesterol-forming diet, and daily aspirin.
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PMID:Lp(a) lipoprotein--an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease after menopause. 1115 87

Low density lipoproteins (LDL) and high density lipoproteins (HDL) are independent risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD); decreasing LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels with statin therapy represents the primary goal in the management of cardiovascular disease. However, despite the efficacy of statins in reducing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, a significant residual risk has been observed even after reaching the LDL-C target, suggesting that other risk factors beyond LDL-C should be addressed, including low levels of HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C). Several clinical trials have shown an inverse relationship between HDL-C levels and cardiovascular risk, and 1 mg/dl increment in HDL-C is associated in epidemiological studies with a 2-3% decrease in cardiovascular risk, suggesting that raising HDL-C levels might have beneficial effects to reduce cardiovascular disease. However, several lines of evidence indicate that the functional properties of HDL may be relevant as well. In patient with CAD and normal HDL-C levels, HDL exhibit significantly reduced protective functions, and rather appear to be pro-atherogenic; on the other hand some genetic mutations causing low levels of HDL-C are not associated with increased atherosclerosis. Furthermore, although niacin significantly increased HDL-C levels, no further clinical benefit was observed from the addition of niacin to statin therapy, suggesting that increasing HDL-C levels is not sufficient and perhaps functional properties of HDL must be considered when choosing a therapeutic strategy to reduce the residual cardiovascular risk.
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PMID:Treating high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C): quantity versus quality. 2328 30