3 of 10

Write now Article Tools

The risks of high cholesterol are well known. The subject has been studied for decades and the results always point in the same direction. Lowering serum cholesterol, particularly LDL cholesterol, decreases your risk of cardiovascular disease. To understand why, it is helpful to understand how cholesterol functions in the body.

Cholesterol is a waxy substance that is found in every cell in the body. In the blood, it binds with lipoproteins. We've all heard the terms "bad cholesterol" and "good cholesterol." These terms actually refer to the type of lipoprotein the cholesterol is bound to. Cholesterol contained in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is the bad stuff that collects into plaques on the walls of our arteries. When your physician suggests lowering your cholesterol, it is LDL cholesterol he's referring to. High-density lipoproteins (HDL) are the good guys. They collect cholesterol in the blood and from plaques on the artery walls and carry it to the liver where it is excreted. The goal with HDL cholesterol is actually to increase it and the higher the better.

The decision to treat high LDL cholesterol with medication is based not only on the cholesterol level, but on other risk factors for coronary artery disease that the patient might have. In 2004 the National Cholesterol Education Program updated their guidelines for treatment of high cholesterol based on decades of research. In general they recommend lifestyle changes as a front line defense. Diet and exercise, losing weight and giving up those evil cigarettes will not only improve cholesterol levels but reduce other risk factors as well. What these new guidelines suggest though is that a more aggressive approach to treatment with medication will save lives, especially in those at the highest risk for coronary heart disease.

In determining a patient's risk, certain predispositions are taken into account. Some of these risk factors include smoking, high blood pressure, a family history of early heart attack, existing atherosclerosis (a build up of plaque) of the arteries to the brain and extremities, peripheral vascular diseases, diabetes, abdominal aortic aneurysm, and metabolic syndrome (a cluster of risk factors associated with obesity).

Patients are considered very high-risk if they have coronary heart disease and have other poorly controlled risk factors or multiple additional risk factors. For these patients the NCPE guidelines recommend medication treatment to reach a goal of an LDL cholesterol level

• 1
• 2
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Cholesterol: When is it time for medication??
We want to hear your view. Write now!