Dyslipidemia in Older Adults and Management of Dyslipidemia in Older Patients

ABSTRACT

In Korea, the number of older adults, particularly of the very elderly people, is expected to be increasing for the upcoming years. This demographic change has profound implication for medical and health care systems. As more people live a longer life, it is important to understand the chronic diseases or health problems which affect the health status or quality of life among the older adults. It has been well established that cardio-cerebrovascular diseases have important roles and impacts on functional capacity and health status of older adults. Recently, many risk factors which increase the risk of cardio-cerebrovascular diseases have been identified. Among them, dyslipidemia is one of the most important risk factor for cardio-cerebrovascular disease. However, there remain several questions regarding the clinical importance of dyslipidemia in older adults, safety and efficacy issue in treating dyslipidemia with statin in older adults, and the relationship between genetic factors associated with lipid profile and longevity. In this review, I will discuss current evidence and data on the topic of dyslipidemia in older adults.