The National Lipid Association Releases the Full Report of Its Recommendations for Patient-Centered Management of Cholesterol

Emphasizes the Importance of LDL-Cholesterol Monitoring, LDL Goal Attainment and Shared Decision Making Between Patients and Provider

NEW YORK — Yesterday, the National Lipid Association (NLA) released the Full Report of its Part One Recommendations for Patient-Centered Management of Cholesterol based on a panel of independent experts, published in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology. The Full Report follows the Executive Summary that was released in September 2014 that incorporated feedback from key stakeholders.

Similarly to the executive summary, part one of the full NLA recommendations highlights the importance of providers and patients setting cholesterol goals and focusing on patient’s risk and risk factors. The recommendations conclude that elevated levels of "bad" cholesterol are a root cause of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease events, reducing bad cholesterol known as "LDL- cholesterol will lower risk proportionately, and treatment—whether lifestyle modification, medication or a combination of both—should be determined based on each individual patient’s risk of heart disease and stroke, after a discussion between patient and provide of the potential benefits and risks.

"We are happy to be able to present a comprehensive set of recommendations that further bolsters the message we’ve been trying to get out, and that is the value of taking a patient-centered approach to treating unhealthy cholesterol levels," said Dr. Terry A. Jacobson, MD, President, National Lipid Association, and Professor of Medicine, Emory University.

The new recommendations are meant to serve as a guide for healthcare providers in the diagnosis and treatment of lipid disorders. They are intended to provide additional expert guidance to previous guidelines currently available for the treatment of blood cholesterol.

An important emphasis in the NLA Recommendations is the importance of setting LDL-cholesterol goals and monitoring patient’s LDL-cholesterol in response to therapy. According to Dr. Jacobson, "LDL monitoring and setting LDL goals are integral to improving adherence to therapy and provide a way for providers to help motivate and reward patients when complying with lifestyle and drug therapy. Patients need to know whether their efforts are succeeding or what they need to do differently to overcome barriers or obstacles.

The NLA plans to release Part 2 of its recommendations in June in conjunction with the NLA Scientific Sessions in Chicago. It will include recommendations for patient-centered management of dyslipidemia for groups with special considerations including the elderly, women, African Americans, Hispanics, South Asians, and individuals with HIV. Also included are sections on lifestyle therapies, strategies to assist with patient adherence, and team-based collaborative care.

For the full text of the NLA Recommendations for Patient-Centered Management of Dyslipidemia, see lipid.org/recommendations/.

About the National Lipid Association

The NLA is a multidisciplinary specialty society focused on prevention of cardiovascular disease and other lipid-related disorders. The NLA’s mission is to enhance the practice of lipid management in clinical medicine, and one of their goals is to enhance efforts to reduce death and disability related to disorders of lipid metabolism in patients. Members include physicians (MDs and DOs), as well as allied health clinical team members, including PhD researchers, nurses, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, exercise physiologists, and dietitians.