Atherosclerotic plaque is the hallmark and cornerstone of
atherosclerotic disease. Disruption of coronary atherosclerotic
plaque (CAP) may lead to sudden cardiac death, acute
myocardial infarction, or unstable angina [1]. Intravascular
ultrasound (IVUS) is considered to be gold standard for
measurement of atherosclerotic plaque [2].
The meta-analysis of twenty trials evaluated the effects
of LDL-C lowering on CAP indicated that intensive
LDL-C lowering with statins could slow atherosclerotic
plaque progression and lead to plaque regression [3].
But the meta-analysis did not investigate the effects of
LDL-C lowering on CAP in different race.
In this meta-analysis, we investigated the difference
between Western and Asian in the effect of LDL-C
lowering therapy on the progression of the CAP from
the current trials on LDL-C lowering therapy retarding
the progression of the CAP and identified the different
targets of LDL-C that result in the regression of the CAP
for Western and Asian.