If patients with coronary artery disease and low or normal LDL levels benefit from statin treatment, why bother to check a baseline lipid level?
A. Studies have shown that patients with LDL cholesterols even in the range of 70 130 mg/dl have a nonfatal cardiovascular event and mortality reduction with statin treatment. Some have argued that knowing the patient has atherosclerosis is evidence enough for starting statin treatment. One option is to initiate statin treatment in all patients without checking baseline levels. At 6 weeks, when a lipid panel is obtained the dose of statin can be adjusted to achieve an LDL < 100 mg/dl. Drawing an admission lipid panel dose have certain advantages. Patients often like to know what their baseline lipid levels were before starting on treatment. The baseline lipid level can help guide the dose of statin needed to reduce the LDL to < 100 mg/dl. Patients with complex lipid disorders and be identified early so appropriate follow-up can be arranged.
Related Questions
- If patients with coronary artery disease and low or normal LDL levels benefit from statin treatment, why bother to check a baseline lipid level?
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