Take Charge of High Cholesterol
What you should know about the latest guidelines
If you have high cholesterol, you have a greater chance of developing heart disease — or of having a heart attack or a stroke. There often are no symptoms of high cholesterol, so you may not be aware you have high levels of this harmful matter.
Cholesterol, Defined
Cholesterol is a fat-like substance in your blood. Too much low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol can clog your arteries and make a heart attack or a stroke more likely. Keeping your levels of LDL cholesterol low is an important part of maintaining heart health.
To help you better manage high cholesterol, experts from the American College of Cardiology, the American Heart Association and other health organizations released new guidelines in November 2018 that reflect the latest research and treatment. Here are key points from the 2018 guidelines, which update the 2013 guidelines.
Adopt a Heart-Healthy Lifestyle
Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) develops because of a buildup of cholesterol, fat and other substances in the blood. Over time, this buildup — called plaque — can harden and narrow the arteries, causing a heart attack or a stroke. The good news is that developing healthy habits often can help prevent heart problems. A heart-healthy lifestyle helps lower your risk of having a heart attack or a stroke at all ages. These healthy habits include: v Exercising and being physically active. v Eating healthfully, incorporating more fruits and vegetables into your diet and cutting fat, sugar and salt.
v Losing weight if you need to. v Not smoking — and quitting for good if you already smoke. Healthy lifestyle choices also help prevent or treat conditions — such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes — that increase your chances of developing heart disease.
Know Your Risk
Discuss your personal risk for heart disease or a stroke with your healthcare provider, and decide the next steps. Cardiovascular risk is calculated using factors related to your heart health — including your age, sex, race, cholesterol levels, blood pressure (and if you’re being treated for it) and whether you have diabetes and/or are a smoker. This information helps gauge your risk of having a heart attack or a stroke or of dying from one of these events in the next ten years and over your lifetime. In addition to the major factors that make heart disease more likely, other information is important to the risk discussion. These “risk enhancers” include your family history, whether you have chronic kidney disease, or if you had high blood pressure during pregnancy.
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