Dr. Jacques Genest
To the surprise of most clinicians and researchers, low levels of "good" HDL cholesterol may no longer be an important predictor of cardiovascular risk in patients with very low concentrations of “bad” LDL cholesterol.
These are the latest results of the international JUPITER study involving Dr. Jacques Genest, MUHC director of Cardiology and colleagues from Havard recently published in the journal The Lancet.
“These results are surprising since most previous studies show that fluctuation in HDL cholesterol, especially when concentrations are low, was an important predictive factor for cardiovascular risk in patients,” says Dr. Genest. Indeed the previous approach was to try to increase “good" HDL cholesterol while lowering “bad” LDL cholesterol levels with statin therapy.
"Now, we must await on-going trials of "good" HDL cholesterol raising drugs to prevent cardiovascular risk. We should focus on life style changes and lowering concentrations of “bad” LDL cholesterol in order to provide an optimal treatment”
Dr. Jacques Genest is also Professor of Medicine and Head of Cardiology at McGill University.
The article “HDL cholesterol and residual risk of first cardiovascular events after treatment with potent statin therapy: an analysis from the JUPITER trial,” published in The Lancet, was co-authored by Paul M Ridker, Peter Libby, Antonio M Gotto, Samia Mora, Jean G MacFadyen and Robert J Glynn from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston; Jacques Genest from McGill University Health Centre, Montreal; S Matthijs Boekholdt and John J P Kastelein from University of Amsterdam; Børge G Nordestgaard from Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen for the JUPITER Trial Study Group