HDLForum

Here we present the first in a series of commentaries focusing on emerging therapies for raising HDL cholesterol.

Despite best treatment efforts, type 2 diabetes patients remain at increased risk of cardiovascular events. To address this unmet need, the overall rationale of the Action to Reduce Cardiovascular Risk (ACCORD) research programme was to investigate treatment strategies aimed at reducing this risk. These included intensified treatment (in the case of glycaemia and blood pressure management), as well as extending treatment beyond current options (in the case of ACCORD Lipid).

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory disease, which is characterised by the accumulation of macrophages and T lymphocytes in the intima of the artery together with an increase in plasma levels of a number of inflammatory markers.  The anti-inflammatory properties of HDL and their main apolipoprotein, apoA-I, is a topic that is currently attracting considerable interest, as discussed by Forum Editor Professor Kerry-Anne Rye, Heart Research Institute, Sydney, Australia.