The AHA Guidelines and Scientific Statements Handbook

The AHA Guidelines and Scientifi c Statements Handbook

fi sh‡ or in capsules (1 g per day) for risk
reduction. For treatment of elevated triglycerides,
higher doses are usually necessary for risk reduction.
IIb (B)
5 A fasting lipid profi le should be assessed in all
patients and within 24 hours of hospitalization for
those with an acute cardiovascular or coronary
event. For hospitalized patients, initiation of lipid-
lowering medication is indicated as recommended
below before discharge according to the following
schedule:

• LDL-C should be less than 100 mg per dL.
  I (A)


• Further reduction of LDL-C to less than 70 mg per
  dL is reasonable. IIa (A)


• If baseline LDL-C is greater than or equal to
  100 mg per dL, LDL-lowering drug therapy§ should
  be initiated. I (A)


• If on-treatment LDL-C is greater than or equal to
  100 mg per dL, intensify LDL-lowering drug therapy
  (may require LDL-lowering drug combination¶) is
  recommended. I (A)


• If baseline LDL-C is 70 to 100 mg per dL, it is
  reasonable to treat to LDL-C less than 70 mg per dL.
  IIa (B)


• If triglycerides are greater than or equal to 150 mg
  per dL or HDL-C is less than 40 mg per dL, weight
  management, physical activity, and smoking cessa-
  tion should be emphasized. I (B)


• If triglycerides are 200 to 499 mg per dL††, non-
  HDL-C target should be less than 130 mg per dL.
  I (B)
  
  
  • If triglycerides are 200 to 499 mg per dL††, further
    reduction of non-HDL-C to less than 100 mg per dL
    is reasonable. IIa (B)
    6 Therapeutic options to reduce non-HDL-C
    include:
  
  
  • More intense LDL-C-lowering therapy is indi-
    cated. I (B)
  
  
  • Niacin (after LDL-C-lowering therapy) can be
    benefi cial. IIa (B)
  
  
  • Fibrate therapy‡‡ (after LDL-C-lowering therapy)
    can be benefi cial. IIa (B)
    7 If triglycerides are greater than or equal to 500 mg
    per dL,††§§ therapeutic options indicated and
    useful to prevent pancreatitis are fi brate§‡‡ or
    niacin§ before LDL-lowering therapy, and treat
    LDL-C to goal after triglyceride-lowering therapy.
    Achieving a non-HDL-C of less than 130 mg per dL
    is recommended. I (C)
  
  
  
  

Physical activity

Goal: 30 minutes 5 days per week; optimal

daily

1 Advising medically supervised programs (cardiac

rehabilitation) for high-risk patients (e.g., recent

acute coronary syndrome or revascularization, heart

failure) is recommended. I (B)

2 For all patients, it is recommended that risk be

assessed with a physical activity history and/or an

exercise test to guide prescription. I (B)

3 For all patients, encouraging 30 to 60 minutes of

moderate-intensity aerobic activity is recommended,

such as brisk walking on most – preferably all – days

of the week, supplemented by an increase in daily

lifestyle activities (e.g., walking breaks at work, gar-

dening, and household work). I (B)

4 Encouraging resistance training 2 days per week

may be reasonable. IIb (C)

‡ Pregnant and lactating women should limit their intake of
fi sh to minimize exposure to methylmercury.
§ When LDL-lowering medications are used, obtain at least a
30% to 40% reduction in LDL-C levels. If LDL-C less than
70 mg per dL is the chosen target, consider drug titration
to achieve this level to minimize side effects and cost. When
LDL-C less than 70 mg per dL is not achievable because of high
baseline LDL-C levels, it generally is possible to achieve reduc-
tions of greater than 50% in LDL-C levels by either statins
or LDL-C-lowering drug combinations. Dietary supplement
niacin must not be used as a substitute for prescription
niacin.
¶ Standard dose of statin with ezetimibe, bile acid sequestrant,
or niacin.
†† The use of resin is relatively contraindicated when triglyc-
erides are greater than 200 mg per dL.

‡‡ The combination of high-dose statin plus fi brate can

increase risk for severe myopathy. Statin doses should be kept

relatively low with this combination.

§§ Patients with very high triglycerides should not consume

alcohol. The use of bile acid sequestrant is relatively contrain-

dicated when triglycerides are greater than 200 mg/dL. _Some

recommend avoiding regular use of ibuprofen, which may

limit the cardioprotective effects of aspirin. Use of cyclo-

oxygenase-2 inhibitors may be associated with an increased

incidence of cardiovascular events.