Systematic Review on Evidence of the Effectiveness of Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs

Introduction: Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of mortality worldwide. With increasingly urbanized lifestyles in developing countries and the aging populations, the major risk factors for CHD such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, and hypercholesterolemia are likely to increase in the future. In the current report, we reviewed the evidence on the effect of cholesterol lowering using pharmacological agents. Methods: A PubMed/Medline systematic search was performed over the past 12 years (1998-2009 inclusive) and relevant papers written in the English language were selected. We used key phrases including, risk factors for hypercholesterolemia, management of hypercholesterolemia, guidelines for management of hypercholesterolemia, and pharmacological management of hypercholesterolemia. Results: There were a total of over 3500 reports. We selected key publications on the effect of cholesterol lowering using different pharmacological agents. Conclusion: Several options exist with regards to pharmacological management of hypercholesterolemia. There is a substantial body of evidence to support the effect of a population shift towards a favorable risk profile, which has huge potential in reducing the burden of CHD globally.