New French laws in regard to hyperlipidemia and its treatment.

Introduction. - Cardiovascular diseases are the main cause of morbidity and mortality in France, and frequently result from hyperlipidemia. Physicians are therefore often faced with the diagnosis and treatment of hyperlipidem ia. However, this issue must be considered within the general context of th e global vascular risk of a given subject. Current knowledge and key points. - Even though French health laws recently introduced do not take place of literature search to help guide the diagno sis and implement treatment, they may be considered as relevant summaries a nd guidelines with regard to current scientific knowledge. These laws mainl y concern hypercholesterolemia and mixed hyperlipidemia and remind the phys ician that the patient's diet, values above which treatment is necessary an d treatment objectives should be assessed before introducing any hypolipide mic treatment. Future prospects and projects. - These new French laws are also an initial approach to treatment of hyperlipidemia, even though some ambiguities and i ssues are still unanswered. They should be considered as guidelines subject to modifications related to new findings. (C) 1999 Elsevier, Paris.