Effects of statins on low-density-lipoproteins size: a new role in cardiovascular prevention ?

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases still represent the first cause of death in most of the industrialized countries. An effective prevention includes the treatment of a series of risk factors: smoking, hypertension, diabetes, obesity and dyslipidemia.1 Statins represent a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs as inhibitors of the hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase enzyme which catalyzes one of the first steps of the cholesterol metabolic pathway. This class of drugs has been used in a very large number of patients, in both primary and secondary cardiovascular prevention, for its ability to reduce clinical events linked to atherosclerosis, including acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina, coronary revascularization procedures, cardiac death, stroke, symptoms of peripheral arterial disease and total mortality