Drug Treatment of Lipid Disorders

Abstract

Arteriosclerosis of the coronary and peripheral vasculature is the leading cause of death among men and women in the United States¹ and worldwide.² In 1992, for example, cardiovascular disease accounted for 38 percent of deaths from all causes among men and 42 percent of all deaths among women in Washington State³; nationwide, the mortality rate for cardiovascular disease is approximately 50 percent.⁴ Mechanisms of AtherogenesisCentral to the pathogenesis of arteriosclerosis is the deposition of cholesterol in the arterial wall.^5,6 Nearly all lipoproteins are involved in this process, including cholesterol carried by very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL),^7,8 remnant lipoprotein, . . .