Atherosclerosis

In an update on FDA approvals and late-breaking trials in lipid therapies, a speaker reviewed the current and future landscapes of LDL- and triglyceride-lowering therapies.

Much research is being conducted on novel therapeutics to reduce residual lipid-related risks, a speaker said at the National Lipid Association Scientific Sessions.

CAD has proved to be a highly preventable disease. Reduction in risk for CAD has been accomplished by changes in lifestyle such as cessation of smoking or lowering plasma cholesterol by drug therapy. Multiple randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials since the early 1990s targeting lowering of plasma cholesterol have consistently been associated with a 30% to 40% reduction in cardiac morbidity and mortality. Despite these efforts, CVD remains the most common cause of death in the U.S. and is also the most common cause of death throughout the world. Secondary prevention has been effective, whereas primary prevention offers even greater benefits and is more appropriate, if not necessary, to reduce this pandemic.

Researchers in Sweden reported that atherosclerosis was present in more than 40% of individuals aged 50 to 64 years with no known CHD.

Ziltivekimab (Novo Nordisk) vs. placebo for reduction of inflammatory and thrombotic biomarker levels.

For this issue, Cardiology Today spoke with Editorial Board Member Susan Cheng, MD, MPH, MMSc. She is associate professor of medicine and the Erika J. Glazer Chair in Cardiovascular Women’s Health and Population Science, program director of the Center for Research in Women’s Health and Sex Differences, director of cardiovascular population sciences and director of public health research at Smidt Heart Institute, Cedars-Sinai.

Diets featuring higher consumption of plant-based foods were associated with lower risk for CVD and atherosclerosis compared with diets higher in animal-based foods, according to a review published in Cardiovascular Research.

Ziltivekimab, a novel interleukin-6 ligand inhibitor, significantly reduced multiple inflammatory and thrombotic biomarkers associated with atherosclerosis, according to data presented at the American College Cardiology Scientific Session.

Significant therapeutic advancements have been achieved in the management of dyslipidemia. The ability to decrease LDL to previously unattainable levels, owing largely to the development of PCSK9 monoclonal antibodies, has illuminated two important lessons.

CV risk factors, particularly hypertension, were linked to impaired brain metabolism tied to cognitive decline and were identifiable at midlife among asymptomatic patients with subclinical atherosclerosis, researchers reported.