Dr. Rody Sy, cardiologist and associate professor at the University of the Philippines College of Medicine, presented the recommendations of the Pan-Asian Consensus Panel, which suggested that the HDL-C target in Asian countries should be at least 40 mg/dL.
The panel also recommended that the treatment of low HDL-C should be done within the context of global cardiovascular risk management.
Low HDL-C has been established as an independent risk factor that can predict future coronary heart disease (CHD).
Thus, treating low HDL-C is seen as an important step to prevent CHD and other cardiovascular diseases.
Nicotinic acid, a medicine for treating low HDL-C, the panel suggested, "may prove to be a useful therapeutic intervention, as monotherapy or in combination with a statin, in Asian patients with or at risk of CHD, including those with type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome."
The panel, composed of specialists from 10 countries, including the Philippines, was convened to recommend the target level of HDL-C for the Asian population, and the treatment and management of low HDL-C.
Sy, Dr. Annette Borromeo of the Philippine Heart Center and Dr. Elizabeth Paz-Pacheco of The Medical City represented the country in the panel.