Novel inflammatory markers of coronary risk: theory versus practice.

For practitioners committed to coronary risk reduction, recent clinical trial data pose a considerable challenge. Specifically, in the Air Force/Texas Coronary Atherosclerosis Prevention Study (AFCAPS/TexCAPS), a primary prevention trial,1 treatment with lovastatin among an apparently healthy group of individuals without traditional coronary risk factors resulted in significant reductions in future cardiovascular events. Application of the results of that trial and of the West of Scotland primary prevention trial of pravastatin2 suggests that tens of millions of Americans without manifest atherosclerosis could benefit from lipidlowering therapy.