Thromb Haemost 1999; 82(S 01): 60-61
DOI: 10.1055/s-0037-1615554
Commentaries
Schattauer GmbH

Lipid Lowering Therapy and Stabilization of Atherosclerotic Plaques

Wilhelm Krone
1   From the Klinik II und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
,
Dirk Müller-Wieland
1   From the Klinik II und Poliklinik für Innere Medizin, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
14 December 2017 (online)

Summary

Lipid-lowering therapy leads to a great reduction of cardiovascular complications, but has almost no effect on the degree of stenosis of coronary arteries. These and other studies have lead to a new paradigm of coronary artery disease, i. e. clinical prognosis is not only determined by the extent of a single stenosis, but mainly by the number and structure of atherosclerotic plaques. Rupture of an instable or vulnerable plaque, characterized by a large lipid-rich central core, inflammatory cells, and a thin fibrous cap, causes sudden thrombus formation and thereby acute coronary syndromes. There is accumulating evidence that cholesterol lowering can result in plaque stabilization and improvement of endothelial dysfunction.

 
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