Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. with more than 600,000 deaths per year. Coronary artery disease (CAD), the most common type of heart disease, occurs when there is a buildup of plaque in arteries that inhibits blood flow, also known as atherosclerosis. One of the main contributors to atherosclerosis is high LDL (low density lipoprotein) cholesterol, often referred to as the "bad" cholesterol.

The ACC launched LDL: Address the Risk, a multi-stakeholder quality initiative designed to improve patient outcomes by driving awareness of gaps in lipid management and the importance of managing LDL-related risk. Lipid management crosses over many medical specialty areas, including cardiology, primary care, internal medicine, endocrinology and pediatrics. It also involves key members of the overall care team, including pharmacists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants and patients. Components of LDL: Address the Risk include:

  • LDL: Address the Risk Think Tanks: These meetings bring together representatives from a broad spectrum of disciplines representing various medical specialty societies and other stakeholder groups. The Think Tanks are designed to engage the experts in all relevant areas in an interactive discussion of the issues in lipid management to identify ways the ACC can work to improve care.
  • Dyslipidemia Clinical Topic Collection: A page dedicated to dyslipidemia that features relevant news articles, case challenges, and relevant resources. The objective of this page is to provide a centralized location for new scientific information on lipid management.
  • Mobile Tools:
    • Statin Intolerance App: This app guides clinicians through the process of managing and treating patients who report muscle symptoms while on statin therapy. Clinicians can use the app to evaluate possible intolerance to a patient's current statin prescription, follow steps to manage and treat a patient who reports muscle symptoms on a statin, and compare statin characteristics and drug interactions to inform management of LDL-related risk.
    • LDL-C Manager App: This app helps clinicians reduce ASCVD risk by managing LDL-C. Clinicians can input individualized patient data to estimate ASCVD risk and receive custom advice on management of treatment therapies. The app also guides clinicians through the process of therapy initiation, lifestyle modification, and incorporation of non-statin therapies based on response to treatment.

LDL: Address the Risk and the Lipid Management Solutions Initiatives are supported by Amgen, Inc.

Additional support was provided for the LDL: Address the Risk Think Tanks by Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in 2013; by CVS Health, Eli-Lilly, and Pfizer in 2015; and by Pfizer, Regeneron, and Sanofi in 2016.