Management of dyslipidemia for cardiovascular disease risk reduction: synopsis of the 2014 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and U.S. Department of Defense clinical practice guideline

Abstract

Description: In December 2014, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) approved a joint clinical practice guideline for the management of dyslipidemia for cardiovascular disease risk reduction in adults. This synopsis summarizes the major recommendations.

Methods: On 30 September 2013, the VA/DoD Evidence-Based Practice Work Group convened a joint VA/DoD guideline development effort that included clinical stakeholders and conformed to the Institute of Medicine's tenets for trustworthy clinical practice guidelines. The guideline panel developed key questions, systematically searched and evaluated the literature, developed a simple 1-page algorithm, and rated each of 26 recommendations by using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation system.

Recommendations: This synopsis summarizes key features of the guideline in 5 areas: elimination of treatment targets, additional tests for risk prediction, primary and secondary prevention, and laboratory testing.