Advanced lipid testing: when, why, and in whom?

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in developed countries. The management of blood cholesterol with the use of statin drugs in at-risk patients is a pillar of medical therapy for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease. Although the standard lipid panel is adequate to accurately assess cardiovascular disease risk in most patients, there are some situations in which conventional cholesterol testing does not fully identify cardiovascular risk or reflect disease progression. A number of advanced lipid tests can assist the clinician when assessing a patient's cardiovascular disease risk, including measurement of low-density lipoprotein particle number.