Cholesterol Treatment

The main goal of high cholesterol treatment is to lower your low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol enough to reduce your risk of developing heart disease or having a heart attack. In most cases, cholesterol treatment begins with lifestyle changes such as changing your diet and becoming more physically active. Other aspects of cholesterol treatment involve medications used to control cholesterol levels. The five major types of medications used in cholesterol treatment are statins, bile acid sequestrants, fibrates, nicotinic acid, and cholesterol absorption inhibitors.

 

Cholesterol Treatment: An Introduction

It can take decades for
 high cholesterol to have a negative effect on your health, although it still does damage even when you don't notice any symptoms of high cholesterol.
 
If you have high cholesterol, and nothing is done to lower it, you will be at greater risk for serious medical problems later, such as a heart attack or stroke. If you have high cholesterol, you will need to take steps to fight it every day, just like you would brush your teeth to fight gum disease.
 
The main goal of high cholesterol treatment is to lower your low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels enough to reduce your risk of developing heart disease or having a heart attack. The higher your risk, the lower your LDL goal will be.
 
(Click High Cholesterol Risk to see what your risk is and what your LDL cholesterol level should be under.)
 
Cholesterol treatment begins with lifestyle changes. If lifestyle changes alone do not lower cholesterol to a desirable level, medication may be necessary for cholesterol treatment.
 
For most people, living with high cholesterol is a lifelong journey.
 
(Cholesterol Treatment Continued: Page 2)
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Written by/reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD
Last reviewed by: Arthur Schoenstadt, MD