http://www.healio.com/cardiology/chd-prevention/news/online/%7B6eda57a2-e8dd-412f-b00c-6f9d00692e1e%7D/video-understanding-mechanisms-of-ldl-arteries-removes-black-magic?utm_source=maestro&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=cardiology%20news
Ira Tabas, MD, PhD, of Columbia University Medical Center, highlights the clinical relevance of gaining clarity on the interplay between LDL and CVD in improving patient care.
“When you have firm understanding of
mechanism, it makes treatment choices a lot easier,” he said. “It helps
to understand why lowering LDL helps us. … It takes away a lot of the
black magic.”
Tabas details the damage done to the arterial wall caused by floating LDL particles, the effects on blood flow and the resulting CV events.
“It’s really very simple in terms of the LDL
getting in or not getting in,” he said. “If we prevent it from getting
in … there’s less probability that the LDL will do its damage in the
arterial wall.”
Tabas touches on therapeutic approaches known to
lower LDL, underscores questions that remain as to their role in
reducing CVD and expresses hope that “having a mechanistic underpinning
for interpreting the clinical data” will reap benefits.
