The recently revised guidelines for cholesterol management in Europe and the USA have focused attention on triglycerides and HDL cholesterol as risk factors for coronary heart disease. In the present review, I shall discuss therapeutic considerations in the treatment of patients with hypertriglyceridemia or low HDL cholesterol in the context of these new recommendations. I shall also consider recent studies in which the effect of triglyceride-lowering drugs on the concentrations and metabolism of lipoproteins in patients with dyslipidemia are evaluated.