NHLBI Educational Materials Catalog: ATP III Update 2004: Implications of Recent Clinical Trials for the ATP III Guidelines
ATP III Update 2004: Implications of Recent Clinical Trials for the ATP III Guidelines
The Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) of the National Cholesterol Education Program issued an evidence-based set of guidelines on cholesterol management in 2001 (Executive Summary published in JAMA, 2001;285:2486-2497). Since the publication of ATP III, 5 major clinical trials of statin therapy with clinical end points have been published. These trials addressed issues that were not examined in previous clinical trials of cholesterol-lowering therapy. The present document reviews the results of these recent trials and assesses their implications for cholesterol management.