De rol van het 'high-density'-lipoproteïne(HDL)-partikel in de atherogenese en de mogelijkheden om de concentratie daarvan te verhogen

- The concentration of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol has a strong inverse relationship to the incidence of cardiovascular disease.

- The protective effect of HDL cholesterol is due not only to its promotion of reverse cholesterol transport from the vascular wall to the liver, but also to its anti-inflammatory, antioxidative and antithrombotic effects.

- Patients with low HDL cholesterol concentrations are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease and may be considered for treatment with lipid-lowering drugs, such as statins, niacin and fibrates.

- Currently, only a limited number of HDL-increasing agents have demonstrated beneficial effects of increasing HDL in studies with intermediary endpoints.

- Among these drugs are apolipoprotein A-1 variants, inhibitors of the cholesterol ester transfer protein JTT-705 and torcetrapib.

Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 2006;150:2245-50