While results from laboratory testing continue to play a pivotal role in risk assessment and management of cardiovascular disease, some experts feel that new guidelines published by the leading associations do not go far enough in incorporating newer markers of cardiovascular risk. The American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association (ACC-AHA) in July published the final version of the 2013 Guideline on the Treatment of Blood Cholesterol to Reduce Atherosclerotic Risk in Adults and the 2013 ACC/AHA Guideline on the Assessment of Cardiovascular Risk. Those involved in the drafting of the guidelines defend the rigorous systematic review of randomized controlled trials with arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) outcomes utilized and say the resulting guidelines are not merely reaffirmation of previous recommendations. The guidelines include the development of new risk prediction equations and a new cholesterol guideline framework that is not simply an extension of previous Adult Treatment Panel III (ATP III) guidelines. From the laboratory perspective, the fasting lipid panel remains the cornerstone of testing mentioned in the guidelines. The ACC-AHA panel recommends a fasting lipid panel prior to the initiation of statin therapy comprising total cholesterol, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and (calculated) high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), followed by […]