LOWERING HIGH CHOLESTEROL – Part 1

Judging Your Risk Factors for Adequate Treatment

The Goal of High Cholesterol Treatment

The main goal of high cholesterol treatment is to adequately lower your Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) level to reduce your risk of having a heart attack or other cardiovascular diseases. The higher your LDL level and the more risk factors you have, the greater your chances are to developing heart disease or having a heart attack.

A risk factor is a condition that increases your chance of getting a disease. The risk factors for developing a heart disease are; genetic factors, age, hypertension, cholesterol, smoking, overweight, diabetes mellitus and stress. Some people are at high risk for a heart attack because they already have a heart disease. <>

Judging Your Risk Factors For Your Right Treatment

If you have two or more of risk factors, use the NHLBI 10-Year Calculator or the Cardiovascular Risk Calculator (or click the above red banner) to find your risk score. Risk scores refer to the chance of having a heart attack in the next 10 years, given as a percentage.

Use your medical history, number of risk factors, and risk score to find your risk of developing heart disease or having a heart attack according to the table below.

#1. High RisK Category

If you have a heart diseases, diabetes or a risk score higher than 20%, you are in the category of high risk or CATEGORY I to develop a heart disease. Your LDL goal should be lower than 100 mg/dL

#2. Next Highest Risk Category

If you have two or more risk factors and a risk score between 10 - 20%, you are in the next highest risk or CATEGORY II to develop a heart disease. Your LDL goal should be less than 130 mg/dL

#3. Moderate Risk Category

If you have two or more risk factors and a risk score lower than 10%, you are in a moderate risk category or CATEGORY III. Your LDL goal should be less than 130 mg/dL

#4. Low to Moderate Risk Category

If you have only one or no risk factor at all, you are in the low to moderate risk category or CATEGORY IV. Your LDL goal should than be less than 160 mg/dL

After following the above steps, you should have an idea about your risk for getting heart disease or having a heart attack. The higher your risk is, the lower your LDL goal will be.