Galimberti · Pharmacological research 2023 · narrative review · n=?

Apolipoprotein B compared with low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in the atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases risk assessment.

Cited 51 times in the scientific literature.

Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data

Narrative review and mechanistic reasoning without original empirical data or systematic search methods.

PubMed 37517561 · doi:10.1016/j.phrs.2023.106873 · record verified 2026-08-27

What was done

This paper reviews the mechanistic and clinical rationale for using apolipoprotein B (apoB) versus low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) risk assessment, particularly among patients with metabolic disorders.

What was found

The abstract reports no original quantitative data or statistical analyses. It describes that each atherogenic particle (LDL, IDL, and VLDL) carries one apoB molecule, allowing apoB concentration to reflect total particle number independent of cholesterol content. It highlights apoB as a valuable marker for assessing baseline and residual cardiovascular risk and monitoring treatment response in patients with diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome, obesity, insulin resistance, hypertension, elevated triglycerides, or very low LDL-C levels.

Why it matters

Measuring apoB alongside LDL-C may improve cardiovascular risk stratification and identify residual risk driven by atherogenic particle number that standard cholesterol panels miss.

Limits

The abstract describes a narrative overview rather than a primary trial or systematic review, presenting no study cohort, sample size, or numerical effect sizes.

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