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Background and Aim: To estimate the prevalence of cardiovascular (CV) disease and CV risk factors among Polish patients., Methods: A nationwide cross-sectional study, LIPIDOGRAM2015, was carried out in Poland in the 4th quarter of 2015 and 1st and 2nd quarters of 2016; 438 primary care physicians enrolled 13,724 adult patients that sought medical care in primary health care practices., Results: Nearly 19% of men and approximately 12% of women had cardiovascular disease (CVD). Over 60% of the recruited patients had hypertension (HTN), >80% had dyslipidaemia and <15% of patients were diagnosed with diabetes (DM). All of these disorders were more frequent in men. In 80% of patients the waist circumference exceed norm for the European population. Less than half of the patients were current smokers or had smoked in the past. Patients with CVD had significantly higher blood pressure and glucose levels but lower low density lipoprotein-cholesterol level., Conclusions: The prevalence of CVD and CV risk factors among patients in Poland is high. CVD is more common in men than in women. The most common CV risk factors are excess waist circumference, dyslipidaemia and HTN. Family physicians should conduct activities to prevent, diagnose early and treat CVD in the primary health care population., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest JJJ has received research grant/support from Valeant, and has served as a consultant or speaker for Valeant, Amgen, Teva, Servier, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celgene, Bioton, Microlife and ALAB Laboratories. TT has served as a consultant or speaker for Boehringer Ingelheim, Novartis, Shire, Biofarm, Eli Lilly. AW has served as a consultant or speaker for Merck, Boehringer Ingelheim, Sanofi Aventis, Bausch Health. ALC reports grants from Amgen, Sanofi, Regeneron personal fees from Merck, Sanofi, Regeneron, AstraZeneca, Amgen, Novartis, outside the submitted work. DPM has given talks and attended conferences sponsored by Amgen, Novonordisk and Libytec. MTM has no direct competing interests in regards to this paper. His dept holds or has held research grants from Pfizer, Amgen, Ipsen, Shire, Teijin & Menarini. He was or has been the principal investigator on trials paid for by: Pfizer, Novartis, Ipsen, Teijin & Menarini. In the last 5 years have been paid consulting or speakers fees by Novartis, Takeda, Shire, &AstraZeneca. ŁS has given talks and attended conferences sponsored by Janssen-Cilag, Pfizer, Krka. SK has served as a speaker for Novartis. MB has received research grant(s)/support from Amgen, Mylan, Sanofi and Valeant, and has served as a consultant for Amgen, Daiichi-Sankyo, Esperion, Freia Pharmaceuticals, Herbapol, Kogen, KRKA, Mylan, Novartis, Novo-Nordisk, Polfarmex, Polpharma, Sanofi-Aventis, Servier, and Zentiva., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

An elevation of lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) is an internationally recognized atherogenic risk factor, documented in epidemiological studies, in studies with Mendelian randomization and in genome-wide association studies (GWAS). At present, no drug is available to effectively reduce its concentration. In Germany, an elevation of Lp(a) associated with progressive cardiovascular diseases is officially recognized as an indication for a lipoprotein apheresis (LA). The number of patients who were treated with LA with this abnormality was steadily increasing in the years 2013-2016 - the official data are reported. In all new patients, who started to be treated at our LA center in 2017 (n = 20) the increased Lp(a) was a main indication for extracorporeal therapy, though some of them also showed clearly elevated LDL cholesterol (LDL-C) concentrations despite being treated with a maximal tolerated lipid-lowering drug therapy. A diabetes mellitus was seen in 5 patients. The higher was the Lp(a) level before the first LA session, the higher was the cardiovascular risk. Lp(a) concentrations measured before LA sessions were usually about 20% lower than those before the start of the LA therapy. Acutely, Lp(a) levels were reduced by about 70%. Following LA sessions the Lp(a) levels increased and in the majority reach pre-session concentrations after one week. Thus a weekly interval is best for the patients, but a few may need two sessions per week to stop the progress of atherosclerosis. The interval mean values were about 39% lower than previous levels. Several papers had been published showing a higher efficiency of LA therapy on the incidence of cardiovascular events in patients with high Lp(a) values when comparing with hypercholesterolemic patients with normal Lp(a) concentrations. Russian specific anti-Lp(a) columns positively affected coronary atherosclerosis. PCSK9 inhibitors reduce Lp(a) concentrations in many patients and in this way have a positive impact on cardiovascular outcomes. In the future, an antisense oligonucleotide against apolipoprotein(a) may be an alternative therapeutic option, provided a clear-cut reduction of cardiovascular events will be demonstrated., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Aims: To investigate the status of familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) research and the characteristics of patients with FH in China., Methods: Published papers in Chinese or English language from PubMed, SinoMed and CNKI databases from 1971 to March 2018 were searched using 'Familial hypercholesterolemia', 'Chinese' and 'Han' as keywords. A systematic review of studies on familial hypercholesterolemia was then conducted., Results: A total of 391 articles were found, in which 22% were in English and 78% were in Chinese; approximately 43% are case reports and 34% are genetic reports according to the study type; 52% discussed the status of the disease and 11% investigated the subclinical status according to the study content. Furthermore, 96% of the articles were published by tertiary hospitals and 46% were conducted by cardiologists. The first expert consensus was issued in February 2018. Of the 163 case reports published before 2018, 48.7% used the Chinese FH clinical diagnostic criteria and 34.4% did not clearly indicate the diagnostic criteria. The incidence rates of low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) and apolipoprotein B (APOB) mutations were 82% and 9%, and proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) mutations were rare in Chinese patients with FH. However, the data on lipid-lowering treatment rates, compliance rates and cardiovascular events in FH remain insufficient., Conclusions: Large-scale epidemiological investigation of FH has not been demonstrated, the recognition of FH remains rudimentary, and the guidelines are incomplete in China. The diagnosis and management of Chinese FH needs to be improved., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

A meeting of European experts in cardiovascular (CV) disease and lipids was convened in Paris, France, on 10 November 2014 to discuss lipid profile, and in particular atherogenic dyslipidaemia (AD), and associated CV risk. Key points that were raised and discussed during the meeting are summarised in this paper, which also accounts for further discussion and agreement on these points by the group of experts. Elevated levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) are commonly associated with a greater CV risk than low LDL-c levels, and are routinely managed with statins. However, even for patients controlled on statins and achieving low LDL-c levels, abnormal lipid profiles observed in some patients (i.e. elevated triglyceride levels, with/without low levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-c]) have been linked to the presence of a residual CV risk. Therefore, it is recommended that both triglyceride and HDL-c levels be measured, to allow for the overall CV residual risk to be adequately managed. Favourable safety and clinical data support the combination of statins with other lipid-lowering agents, such as fenofibrate. Patients who have elevated triglyceride levels plus low levels of HDL-c are most likely to achieve clinical benefit from fenofibrate-statin combination therapy. In these patients with AD, achieving target non-HDL-c levels should be a key focus of CV risk management, and the use of non-HDL-c was advocated to provide a better measure of CV risk than LDL-c levels., (© 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Lipoprotein apheresis (LA) is an officially accepted therapeutic approach in Germany. Reliable population-based data on the patients are scarce. It is of special interest to learn what are the main indications for this extracorporeal treatment and how many new patients started over the last years., Methods: This paper is a summary of the situation of the treatment of high-risk patients via LA in the federal state of Saxony, Germany. The documentation of all patients who agreed to be included into this study have been evaluated. Patients were treated at the University Hospital Dresden (UHD) and in private practices of nephrologists. This evaluation aimed at the characterization of patients treated with LA in Saxony with respect to age, gender, lipid pattern, to the number of new patients per year and the development of the ratio of patients to the Saxon population between 2010 and 2013. The obtained data were compared with the official statistics published by the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians for whole Germany., Results: In 2013, 181 patients, primarily males, were treated in 15 LA centers by 32 doctors. Still, the number of apheresis doctors per 1 million inhabitants is under the average in Germany (Saxony: 7.7/1 million inhabitants, average: 12/1 million inhabitants). The usage of LA is 45 per 1 million inhabitants in Saxony; in comparison to 2010, this is an increase of 16 per 1 million inhabitants. The number of new patients in 2013 with an isolated elevation of Lipoprotein(a) (Lp(a)) is twice as high than it was in 2011. The mean duration of all patients being treated with LA, most on a weekly basis, was 5.75 years (UHD: 6.2 years, range: 1 month to 23.1 years; other centers: 5.3 years, range: 1 month to 19.2 years). About 19.3% of all patients suffered from elevated triglyceride (TG) levels (>5 mmol/L). Non-high- density lipoprotein cholesterol (Non-HDL-C) was calculated, which is also acutely reduced by LA sessions. The following data were reported for those patients who are treated outside the UHD: risk factors such as hypertension and familial predisposition could be seen in almost every patient, and several others such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, genetic defects and obesity were also present. Almost all patients had suffered from cardiovascular events (CVE) occurring before the start of apheresis treatment. LA therapy led to a reduction in occurrence of CVE during LA therapy. In particular, patients with an isolated increased Lp(a) had the highest reduction when comparing CVE before and during apheresis therapy. In the official statistics published by the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians the number of LA patients with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) is clearly too high. Moreover, these statistics do not include patients who are treated at hospitals like the UHD., Conclusion: All in all it can be shown that the extracorporeal therapy is performed effectively in Saxony, and that more centers than 2010 (additional 5) were conducting this therapy when lipid-lowering medication was not sufficiently effective. It is certain that the number of patients requiring LA will increase in the future., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Current guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology and the European Atherosclerosis Society (ESC/EAS), of the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association (ACC/AHA), and of the International Atherosclerosis Society (IAS) are all based on the same body of evidence, but come to strikingly different conclusions with regard to lipid lowering therapy. While the ESC/EAS guidelines assign appropriate treatments to distinct lipid disorders, the ACC/AHA guidelines focus exclusively on evidence from randomized controlled trials for statins, but lack advice for those lipid disorders without evidence from randomized trials. Thus, evidence based medicine in its strict sense may leave a clinically significant gap. In striking contrast, the position paper of the IAS suggests the most advanced evidence-based innovative concept of a goal of one and the same healthy cholesterol level for anyone., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Although homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (HoFH) is rare, patients with this disease have a poor prognosis, even when they receive the best available treatment, including pharmacotherapy and apheresis. The current therapeutic gap emphasizes the potential impact of new and developmental treatment options, which include lomitapide, mipomersen, anti-PCSK9 monoclonal antibodies and CETP inhibitors. It is imperative that patients with HoFH receive the most appropriate treatment as early as possible and clinical guidance is needed to provide clinicians with the information they require to expedite diagnosis and initiate effective treatment. Until now, however, guidance on the management of (HoFH) has generally been included as part of broader guidelines on dyslipidemia, FH or low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-apheresis and even in guidelines specifically on FH, HoFH has been under-represented. A consensus statement on recommendations for the management of HoFH has recently been published by a working group of the European Atherosclerosis Society. An outline of the content of the statement is presented in the current paper., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP) inhibitor lomitapide is a licenced adjunct to a low-fat diet and other lipid-lowering medication, with or without low-density lipoprotein apheresis, for the treatment of adults with homozygous familial hypercholesterolaemia (HoFH). In a recently published phase 3 study, patients with HoFH received lomitapide in addition to maximally tolerated lipid-lowering therapy. Treatment with lomitapide resulted in a mean approximate 50% reduction in LDL-C levels after 26 weeks compared with baseline levels (p < 0.0001). This decrease in LDL-C was maintained at Weeks 56 and 78 (44% [p < 0.0001] and 38% [p = 0.0001], respectively). This paper offers clinical perspectives based on selected case histories of patients participating in the phase 3 lomitapide study. These cases provide illustrative examples of the efficacy of lomitapide, with or without apheresis, and show that the effective management of adverse effects can enable patients to remain on effective treatment., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

A high dietary intake of n-3 long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids, is associated with a reduced incidence of coronary events. Supplementation with pharmacological doses of the same may improve survival in patients with previous myocardial infarction and established heart failure. Such protective effects may be explained by the action of n-3 PUFA on systemic inflammation, hypertension, endothelial dysfunction, thrombosis, cardiac arrhythmias, heart rate variability and atherosclerotic plaque instability, which are involved in the pathogenesis of these clinical conditions. In this short paper we will review the evidence in support of these pleiotropic effects of n-3 fatty acids., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This paper summarizes the situation pertinent to treatment via lipoprotein apheresis in the federal state of Saxony, Germany in 2010. In total, 119 predominately male patients were treated in 10 centers; the majority of the patients was older than the mean age of the general population. Several risk factors were present, particularly a familial predisposition and hypertension. All patients had experienced cardiovascular events and the majority was taking statins. Patient data from the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus in Dresden concurred with data derived from patients treated at nephrological practices. In the mean, patients attended the centers for about 6 years, the majority weekly. LDL cholesterol concentrations prior to apheresis were clearly higher than target levels; apheresis sessions decreased LDL cholesterol by 69%. Lipoprotein(a) levels could be measured in 75 patients and were effectively reduced by lipoprotein apheresis. In Saxony, 29 patients per 1 million inhabitants received lipoprotein apheresis, which is higher than the proportion of patients treated in Germany as a whole. The need for this extracorporeal treatment seems to be much greater than its current utilization. Among the patients only one homozygous patient with familial hypercholesterolemia was observed. Physicians should be actively informed about this therapeutic possibility to reduce the cardiovascular risk efficiently. The introduction of new drugs may alter the position of lipoprotein apheresis within the therapeutic spectrum., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Statins have revolutionized the management of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Reductions in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) with statin therapy have been shown to reduce significantly the risk of CVD in primary and secondary prevention trials. Recent evidence from clinical trials supports the concept that lower LDL-C levels, below current guideline targets, provide additional protection against cardiovascular (CV) events. In addition evidence is accumulating that increasing high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and decreasing the level of chronic inflammation are important targets in CVD risk reduction. Recent studies have investigated the effectiveness of statins in terms of their ability to concomitantly reduce LDL-C, increase HDL-C and lower C-reactive protein (CRP). Results demonstrate that the more effective statins have beneficial effects on this triumvirate of potential treatment targets. Furthermore, the overall safety and tolerability profile is comparable among available statins. This paper examines recent data highlighting the role that statins and other lipid-lowering agents can play in this new treatment paradigm.

Inflammation plays an important role in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis and the development of atherosclerotic events. Understanding the molecular basis of inflammation has led to the identification of markers that may also serve as new targets of therapy in the management of atherothrombotic disease. Inflammatory markers, such as C-reactive protein (CRP), have been shown to predict future cardiovascular events in individuals with and without established cardiovascular disease (CVD). Statins substantially reduce cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and recently their anti-inflammatory properties have been investigated. In this paper, we discuss biomarkers implicated in the inflammatory process leading to atherothrombosis, including CRP, adiponectin, monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1), CD40 ligand and lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A(2) (Lp-PLA(2)), and the effect of statins on these markers and their potential relationship to cardiovascular events.