ROLES OF EZETIMIBE IN LIPID LOWERING AND PREVENTING CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASES Abrar

One of the biggest risk factors for the development of cardiovascular disease is hypercholesterolemia. Several major cardiovascular disorders are caused by atherosclerosis caused by hypercholesterolemia. Statins are widely regarded as the preferred medication for decreasing low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, which minimizes the morbidity and mortality associated with coronary heart disease. Because statin treatment can cause muscle issues and other side effects, non-adherence and termination of statin therapy frequently results in poor control of plasma cholesterol levels and increased cardiovascular risk. The literature was reviewed and searched through databases such as PubMed and Embase, for all relevant articles that were published till the middle of 2022. Nevertheless, there is persuasive evidence that statin-treated patients still have significant residual cardiovascular risk. When taken with statin therapy, ezetimibe increases cholesterol-lowering efficacy and provides slight extra cardiovascular protection. Although having a better safety profile than statins, ezetimibe-induced cholesterol reduction is moderate when administered alone. As a result, there is an urgent need to identify alternative effective hypolipidemic medicines that can be administered in conjunction with statins or on their own if statins are not tolerated.