Government guidelines regarding "bad" cholesterol levels
for those at risk of a heart attack or stroke have changed once
again and are now even lower than prior recommendations. The proposed
solution: More intensive drug therapy. These new recommendations
could be applicable to millions of Americans.
Based on a study involving 50,000 patients, the recommendations
were revised to include any patients that fell in the high risk
category to keep their cholesterol levels under 70 milligrams per
deciliter. This was a further decrease from recommendations made
back in 2001, which recommended high-risk patients to keep their
levels under 100.
Who
is Considered a High Risk Patient?
Anyone who has the following conditions:
- Coronary heart disease
- Diabetes
- Diseased blood vessels to the brain, arms or legs
Anyone With at Least two Factors:
- High blood pressure with an 20 percent increased risk of having
a heart attack
- Past history of heart attack or stroke with multiple risk factors
- Patients with metabolic syndrome, defined as combination of
risk factors tied to obesity
Researchers stated they realized reaching this cholesterol goal
might be impossible for some people, especially considering that
only 5 percent of women in the U.S and 2 percent of men have cholesterol
levels under 70 and the overall average in the U.S is 130.
USA
Today July 12, 2004
| 