Cholesterol and Heart Disease (Cont.)

Cholesterol, Heart Disease, and Other Risk Factors

While high cholesterol is a risk factor for heart disease, it is not the only one. You are at risk for heart disease if you:
 
  • Are a man over the age of 55, or a woman over 65
  • Have an immediate family member who died of heart disease before those ages
  • Use tobacco products
  • Have high blood pressure (also known as hypertension)
  • Have diabetes
  • Are overweight and/or lead an inactive lifestyle.
     
The more risk factors for heart disease you have, the lower your cholesterol needs to be. In fact, your healthcare provider will likely recommend treatment for you at a lower cholesterol level than someone who doesn't have any heart disease risk factors.
 
(Click Heart Attack Risk to calculate your 10-year risk for a heart attack.)
 

Cholesterol and Heart Disease: Reducing the Risk

The good news from recent studies is that the progress of atherosclerosis may be stopped by lowering cholesterol. In some cases, it may even be reversed. Be sure to talk with your healthcare provider regularly about cholesterol and heart disease.
 
(Click Lowering Cholesterol to Prevent Heart Disease to learn more about what these cholesterol research studies have revealed about heart disease risk factors and how you can reduce your risk.)
 

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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD