Over a 9-year follow-up period from adolescence to young adulthood, elevated lipid and dyslipidemia levels were associated with worsening subclinical atherosclerosis. However, using a temporal inverse allocation model recently developed for simulating treatment intervention, the study revealed that an attempt at lowering cholesterol in young adulthood may be too late and ineffective in stopping atherosclerosis progression. Age 17 years appears to be the golden opportunity to treat and stop atherosclerosis progression in a general population of asymptomatic adolescents.
Photographer: Andrew Agbaje.
Over a 9-year follow-up period from adolescence to young adulthood, elevated lipid and dyslipidemia levels were associated with worsening subclinical atherosclerosis. However, using a temporal inverse allocation model recently developed for simulating treatment intervention, the study revealed that an attempt at lowering cholesterol in young adulthood may be too late and ineffective in stopping atherosclerosis progression. Age 17 years appears to be the golden opportunity to treat and stop atherosclerosis progression in a general population of asymptomatic adolescents.