United States Government Publishing Office publisher pbl distributor dst United States Government Accountability Office Program Evaluation and Methodology Division author aut Government Organization text government publication eng GAOREPORTS Legislative Agency Publications gao legislative 2010-08-12 U.S. Government Printing Office 1996-05-14 monographic deposited born digital 111 p. GA 1.13:PEMD-96-7 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96-7 P0b002ee18039cbca f:pe96007 DGPO 2010-08-12 2011-03-23 GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96-7 machine generated eng fdlp REPORT GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96-7 PEMD-96-7 Medical research Drugs Cardiovascular diseases Nutrition research Statistical methods Health hazards Public health research Educational programs Pharmacological research Women NHLBI National Cholesterol Education Program Other Written Product PEMD Pursuant to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the evidence from clinical trials that the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) used to develop its National Cholesterol Education Program guidelines.<p/>GAO found that: (1) meta-analyses of trial data consistently show that cholesterol treated persons, regardless of their medical history, have significantly fewer non-fatal heart attacks than untreated persons; (2) treated persons also showed a reduction in the number of fatal heart attacks compared to the nontreated group, but the difference was not statistically significant except among those who had a history of coronary heart disease (CHD); (3) according to one trial, cholesterol treatment has not led to a reduction in deaths from all causes; (4) the increase in deaths from other causes shown in the trials occurred primarily among persons whose risk for CHD was lower, whose cholesterol was reduced less, or who used certain drugs; (5) the two trials that used newer cholesterol-lowering drugs confirmed the finding that the more cholesterol levels were lowered, the fewer coronary events occurred; (6) previous trials were not representative of the population at large, since they focused mainly on middle-aged white men at high risk for CHD; (7) several clinical trials now under way are designed to provide additional information about treatment outcomes regarding total fatalities, persons with a moderate short-term risk for a coronary event, and the longer-term effects of the newer drugs; and (8) these trials are large and open to a broader range of participants, but whether they will provide broader information will depend on their actual enrollments. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96-7/html/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96-7.htm https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96-7/pdf/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96-7.pdf GAO/PEMD-96-7 https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/GAOREPORTS-PEMD-96-7 Other Written Product GAO/PEMD-96-7; Cholesterol Treatment: A Review of the Clinical Trials Evidence; Medical research Drugs Cardiovascular diseases Nutrition research Statistical methods Health hazards Public health research Educational programs Pharmacological research Women NHLBI National Cholesterol Education Program