Treating Dyslipidemia in Old Age by Dan Noyes

Treating Dyslipidemia in Old Age

As the percentage of elderly people in the United States continues to grow faster than any other age group, the incidence of CVD grows too. According to Kannel , 1 CVD accounts for 58% of the mortality in persons >85 years, and the incidence of atherosclerotic disease in persons >65 years is more than double that in middle-aged persons.

Can anything be done to reduce fatal CVD in a population exposed to a lifetime of CV risk factors?

Despite skepticism from some physicians, Kannel thinks CV risk can be reduced in this population (see below); he cites studies showing that correction of hypertension and dyslipidemia reduces morbidity and mortality in both middle-aged and elderly people. The effectiveness of other measures has not been established but appears to warrant investigation, including:

• reducing homocysteine levels

• reducing fibrinogen levels

• smoking cessation

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BIO:

Copyright 2005, Dan Noyes
I write articles for http://www.dyslipidemia.org/dyslipidemia-old-age.html, which provide free Online CME (Continuing Medical Education) activities.

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