ABSTRACT
Coronary atherosclerosis leads to myocardial infarction, heart failure, and sudden coronary death. Interventions to reduce morbidity and mortality from heart disease can be targeted to reduce the rate and degree of progression of atherosclerosis, stabilize plaque, and induce regression. Interventions to date have included lipid-lowering medications, surgery, lifestyle changes, calcium channel blockers, and combinations of these. Future trials include interventions to raise HDL cholesterol, estrogen replacement in postmenopausal women, antioxidant therapy, and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. The most promising interventions to date are targeted at lipid lowering.
