*NCEP ATP III=National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III.

^{†Some male patients can
develop multiple metabolic risk factors when waist circumference is only
marginally increased (e.g., 94–102 cm [37–40 inches]).}

Did you see the Part I of this lecture?

In May 2001, the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) released their third set of guidelines that standardize the clinical assessment and management of hypercholesterolemia.¹

The new guidelines stress the importance of an aggressive therapeutic approach in the management of elevated LDL cholesterol as well as designating T2DM a CV risk equivalent.¹

Notably, the guidelines recognize the metabolic syndrome as a secondary target of risk-reduction therapy, after the primary target of LDL cholesterol.¹

The guidelines also identify the clinical factors that comprise the metabolic syndrome—abdominal obesity, increased triglycerides, decreased HDL cholesterol, increased blood pressure, and increased fasting glucose.¹

1. Executive Summary of the Third Report of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Expert Panel on Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults (ATP III). JAMA. 2001;285(19):2486-2497.