This post was authored by Kim Birtcher, MS, PharmD, AACC, chair of the ACC’s LDL: Address the Risk Oversight Workgroup.

High low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol is a modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease and stroke, yet many patients aren’t taking the medications or making the lifestyle changes needed to lower their risk.  On the provider front, the number of published clinical guidelines with substantially different recommendations also poses confusion for patients and clinicians alike. In an effort to address the significant gaps in care, the ACC launched its LDL: Address the Risk initiative to improve patient outcomes by increasing awareness of the gaps in lipid management, along with the importance of managing LDL-related risks.

To kickoff this program, an LDL: Address the Risk Think Tankconvened last year and made up of a wide array of stakeholders to identify the key issues of focus for the larger program. The Think Tank, chaired by Dr. Christie Ballantyne, found that clinicians are seeking simple tools to help educate their patients on the importance of managing their LDL-related risk.  With the release of the new ACC/AHA cholesterol guidelines, patients seem more confused than ever but the message is still the same that lower is better.

Based on the Think Tank findings, the College is working to develop more effective strategies and tools for clinicians and patients to assist in ensuring guideline-recommended therapy. In partnership with the Association of Black Cardiologists, LDL: Address the Risk is working to reach patients – particularly those in underserved, high-risk communities – where they live and work. In June, the ACC staffed a health pavilion at an event in the South Bronx where free blood pressure, BMI, cholesterol, glucose and waist circumference screenings were provided to help raise awareness of heart disease. In October, the ACC heads to Miami with Mended Hearts for a live patient education event.

Moving forward, the College plans to continue to work with other medical professional societies to provide resources to help clinicians better treat their patients and improve outcomes.  Later this year, an LDL-related toolkit will be released to provide additional resources to clinicians and patients. The ACC is working to play a key part in providing the best LDL information and tools for clinicians and patients for years to come.

Those interested in learning more about LDL: Address the Risk can click here. To learn more about the online community dedicated to dyslipidemia that features relevant news articles, case challenges, hot topics and relevant resources, click here.

LDL: Address the Risk is supported by Amgen. 

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