A century of cholesterol and coronaries: From plaques to genes to statins

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

812 Scopus citations

Abstract

One-fourth of all deaths in industrialized countries result from coronary heart disease. A century of research has revealed the essential causative agent: cholesterol-carrying low-density lipoprotein (LDL). LDL is controlled by specific receptors (LDLRs) in liver that remove it from blood. Mutations that eliminate LDLRs raise LDL and cause heart attacks in childhood, whereas mutations that raise LDLRs reduce LDL and diminish heart attacks. If we are to eliminate coronary disease, lowering LDL should be the primary goal. Effective means to achieve this goal are currently available. The key questions are: who to treat, when to treat, and how long to treat.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number8011
Pages (from-to)161-172
Number of pages12
JournalCell
Volume161
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 26 2015

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

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