Importance of intensive lipid lowering in acute coronary syndrome and percutaneous coronary intervention

Lipid-lowering therapy with statins reduces the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with established coronary heart disease (CHD). Traditionally, statins were perceived to lower the long-term cardiovascular risk by reducing elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LCL-C). Recently, this benefit has been established for patients early after acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The benefit appears linked to reductions in both LDL-C and C-reactive protein (CRP) that is a marker of systemic inflammation. This paper will review the current state of evidence from key recent statin trials in ACS and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and discuss their significance for clinical practice.