A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to ATP 4 - New Cholesterol Guidelines 2013

In somewhat of a surprise move, the National Hearth, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) has partnered with the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology (AHA/ACC) in order to get new Guidelines out the door.  One set, focused on Cholesterol, is essentially ATP 4 (Adult Treatment Panel 4) replacing the 12 year old ATP 3.  The links for this guideline can be found below.

Summary of all 4 Guidelines

2013 AHA/ACC Cholesterol Guideline

Risk Calculator (Excel)

A good commentary on this subject can be found at Dr. Bilizarian's blog on Medscape.

A note, this risk calculator appears to overestimate individual risk between 75% and 150%, leading to suggest greatly increased statin use.  More to follow...