Currently there is a large need for widespread integrated actions aimed at improving patient awareness and the effectiveness of lipid lowering therapy. These initiatives may improve compliance and reduce the phenomenon of therapeutic inertia. In Poland, as well as in many European countries, the therapeutic inertia is a very important problem, and results from a lack of sufficient knowledge on the management with patients with lipid disorders. There is also insufficient collaboration between specialists in Poland.

For these reasons, the Polish Lipid Association (PoLA) was founded in September of this year. It is an affiliated partner of one of the leading lipid societies in the world, the National Lipid Association (NLA). Professor Michael Davidson – the past President of NLA and Christopher Seymour – the Executive Director of NLA have played the greatest role in the process of founding the association and in the discussions and preparations, which have been going on since 2009. The 1st Annual Congress of PoLA, took place in Warsaw in September 2011, was also organized with a great deal of help from Professor Davidson and Chris Seymour. Over 300 delegates took part in the congress, and listened to some of the greatest specialists in lipid disorders therapy giving lectures on the subject of dyslipidemias management. Speakers included Prof. Davidson (Chicago, USA), Prof. Mikhailidis (London, UK), Prof. Pencina (Boston, MA, USA), through Prof. von Haehling (Berlin, Germany) and Dr. Niki Katsiki (Thessaloniki, Greece). Also participating and giving talks were the best Polish experts in the field. Christopher Seymour gave a lecture on the presumption of future co-operation between NLA and PoLA.

The main aims of NLA and PoLA are to increase the awareness of physicians to the scale of the problem and improve knowledge on the management of this group of patients. There is still an enormous job ahead of us. It seems that only joint international research, continuous education, clear recommendations, and creation of specialists – lipidologists, may improve the current situation in Poland, Europe and in the world. PoLA is going to be an open society and would like to invite all the societies and people who take care of lipid management to join. From the start of the society we have been cooperating with the Polish Association on Atherosclerosis Research (PAAR) and the American Society of Preventive Cardiology (ASPC) and would like to invite all similar societies in Poland and Europe to work together to counter lipid disorders, which are a major cause of increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.