Lipidsænkende behandling af patienter med aterosklerotisk sygdom i underekstremiteterne

Patients with critical peripheral ischaemia have a significant mortality rate of up to 50% within 4-5 years of surgical vascular reconstruction. This poor survival rate is due to concomitant coronary and cerebrovascular atherosclerotic disease. Large randomised trials have shown that dyslipidaemia is easily modifiable in patients both with and without established coronary artery disease, with significant reduction in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Although none of these trials directly measured peripheral vascular status, there is every indication that conclusions submitted for patients with ischaemic heart disease can be translated to patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). The object of this review was therefore to divulge the current evidence available, which supports active treatment of dyslipidaemia in patients with PAD.