National Lipid Association Releases Pocket Guide Based on its Recommendations for Patient-Centered Management of Dyslipidemia

Chicago, IL (Nov. 14, 2014) — The National Lipid Association (NLA), in collaboration with Guideline Central, has created a convenient pocket guide based on its recently released Recommendations for Patient-Centered Management of Dyslipidemia. The new pocket guide titled “Dyslipidemia” is a quick-reference tool for healthcare providers on best practices for patient-centered management of dyslipidemia and will be available free via Web app in time for the biggest cardiovascular meeting of the year—the American Heart Association (AHA) Scientific Sessions Nov. 15-19, in Chicago.

“We are very excited to get the pocket guide and Web app into the hands of healthcare providers at the AHA sessions,” said Dr. Terry A. Jacobson, MD, President, National Lipid Association, and Professor of Medicine, Emory University. “It is gratifying to be able to deliver our Recommendations in such a user-friendly format for our colleagues attending this prestigious meeting.”

The Recommendations were compiled by a panel of independent experts and their release was announced in September. The pocket guide version transformed the Recommendations to be even more actionable and accessible for healthcare providers. More information about the Recommendations and the accompanying pocket guide will be available to conference attendees at the NLA booth (458) at AHA.

The Recommendations were created with the intention of providing additional expert guidance to previous guidelines currently available for the treatment of blood cholesterol. The NLA expert panel’s consensus emphasizes that a more comprehensive measure of cholesterol-related risk—called non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C)—is a better primary target for treatment than the traditionally reported LDL-C, which is commonly referred to as the “bad cholesterol.” The non-HDL cholesterol is simply the difference between the total cholesterol concentration and the HDL, or “good cholesterol,” and can be obtained in the non-fasting state without additional cost.

For the main conclusions of the NLA Recommendations for Patient-Centered Management of Dyslipidemia, visit lipid.org/recommendations/conclusions; and to see the pocket guide, visit: eguideline.guidelinecentral.com/i/412425. A mobile app version of the pocket guide will also be released within the Guideline Central app in the coming weeks.

Many approaches that safely lower blood cholesterol—including improved dietary and exercise habits and several medications—have been shown to reduce cardiovascular risk in higher-risk individuals. While statin medications in specific doses have the most supportive evidence, clinical judgment should be used to determine the best individual approach for each patient.