Where To Draw the Line against Cholesterol
Authors: Alan M. Garber
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1989)

Editorials15 October 1989Where To Draw the Line against CholesterolAlan M. Garber, MD, PhDAlan M. Garber, MD, PhDAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-111-8-625 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptThere is no dearth of advice for physicians who endeavor to detect and treat hypercholesterolemia in asymptomatic adults. The Toronto Working Group on Cholesterol Policy recently added yet another set of guidelines (1) to the diverse recommendations in the medical literature (2-5). Their 74-page report for a joint commission of the Ontario Ministry of Health and the Ontario Medical Association merits a close look. It includes a lucid, comprehensive review of the scientific evidence supporting cholesterol detection programs. Its recommendations also deserve scrutiny. Comparison with other recommendations reminds us that differing interpretations of the same data can lead to striking...References1. BasinskiFrankNaylorRachlis AJCM. Detection and Management of Asymptomatic Hypercholesterolemia. A Policy Document by the Toronto Working Group on Cholesterol Policy. Toronto: Ontario Ministry of Health; 1989. Google Scholar2. Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults. Arch Intern Med. 1988;148:36-69. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. The British Cardiac Society Working Group on Coronary Heart Disease Prevention. Lancet. 1987;1:377. Google Scholar4. . Strategies for the prevention of coronary heart disease: a policy statement of the European Atherosclerosis Society. Eur Heart J. 1987;8:77-88. Google Scholar5. GarberSoxLittenberg AHB. Screening asymptomatic adults for cardiac risk factors: the serum cholesterol level. Ann Intern Med. 1989;110:622-39. LinkGoogle Scholar6. . Statistical Abstract of the United States: 1989. (109th edition). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office; 1989:17. Google Scholar7. KannelCastelliGordon WWT. Cholesterol in the prediction of atherosclerotic disease. New perspectives based on the Framingham Study. Ann Intern Med. 1979;90:85-91. LinkGoogle Scholar8. SemposFulwoodHaines CRC. The prevalence of high blood cholesterol levels among adults in the United States. JAMA. 1989;262:45-52. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar9. GarberLittenbergSoxGluckWagnerDuffy ABHMJB. Costs and Effectiveness of Cholesterol Screening in the Elderly. Congress of the United States, Office of Technology Assessment. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office; 1989. Google Scholar10. . Health Statistics on Older Persons, United States, 1986. Vital and Health Statistics. Hyattsville, Maryland: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Center for Health Statistics; 1987: 24. Series 3, No. 25, DHHS Pub. No. (PHS) 87-1409. Google Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Stanford University School of Medicine Stanford, California Palo Alto V.A. Medical Center Palo Alto, California Nextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited ByModifying serum lipids to prevent coronary heart disease: Do we have a consensus?Cholesterol lowering, low cholesterol, and mortalityWellness Testing: Design and Experience of an Established ProgramSerum lipid profile and its association with some cardiovascular risk factors in an urban chinese populationParadoxic ParadoxesC. David Naylor, MD, DPhil, John W. Frank, MD, MScHealth policy on blood cholesterol. Time to change directions.Preventive Health Strategies and the Policy Makers' ParadoxEric Y. Brown, MD, Catherine M. Viscoli, PhD, Ralph I. Horwitz, MDPatterns of Physicians' Treatments for Referral Patients From Public Cholesterol ScreeningCholesterol Screening — Is It Desirable?Prevention of occult atherosclerotic diseaseCholesterol GuidelinesW.E. Feeman Jr., MD 15 October 1989Volume 111, Issue 8Page: 625-627KeywordsCholesterol Issue Published: 15 October 1989 PDF DownloadLoading ...