Cardiorenal consequences of atherosclerosis and statins therapy: from the past to the future.

Complications from atherosclerosis cause most deaths in western countries, and their incidence appears to be markedly increasing in developing countries, thus suggesting a correlation that is directly proportional to social progress. In recent years, the different branches of medical research, from studies on vascular disease to those on lipid and glucose metabolism, and also clinical research on coronary, carotid and peripheral artery diseases, epidemiologic and pharmacologic research, have concentrated on these diseases with the common aim of reducing the incidence of cardiovascular diseases, and mortality. Scientific progress has greatly improved our understanding of the pathogenic mechanisms underlying the progression of cardiovascular disease, and efforts in this discipline now appear more necessary than ever.