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Can the Cholesterol-Monitoring Interval Among Patients on Statins Be Lengthened?
Repeated cholesterol measurements within the first few years after patients respond to statins may yield "false-positive" results, suggesting that annual retesting might be too frequent, concludes a report in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Researchers analyzed data on some 9000 patients with previous acute coronary syndromes who were randomized to pravastatin or placebo and followed for up to 6 years. They found that, due to both analytic error and week-to-week biologic fluctuations, cholesterol measurements often vary within patients, regardless of treatment. "True long-term [increases] in total and LDL cholesterol levels occur relatively slowly," they write, and usually aren't apparent until 3 years after treatment.
The authors call for reconsideration of current cholesterol-monitoring guidelines, noting that "retesting adherent patients every 3 to 5 years may be sufficient once adequate response has been attained."
LINK(S):
Annals of Internal Medicine article (Free abstract; full text requires subscription)
National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines (monitoring recommendation starts on page 14) (Free PDF)
Published in Physician's First Watch May 6, 2008
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