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Get answers to your heart disease prevention questions.
Dr. Miller’s Bio | Q&A Archive
Lipid disorders; Hyperlipoproteinemia; Hyperlipidemia; Dyslipidemia; Hypercholesterolemia
There are steps everyone can take to improve their cholesterol levels, and help prevent heart disease and a heart attack. Some key lifestyle changes are:
See also: Cholesterol and lifestyle
Quit smoking. This is the single most important change you can make to reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke.
Your doctor may want you to take medicine for your cholesterol if lifestyle changes do not work. This will depend on:
You are more likely to need medicine to lower your cholesterol:
There are several types of drugs to help lower blood cholesterol levels, and they work in different ways. Some are better at lowering LDL cholesterol, some are good at lowering triglycerides, while others help raise HDL cholesterol. Statins are one kind of drug that lower cholesterol.
High cholesterol levels can lead to hardening of the arteries, also called atherosclerosis. This occurs when fat, cholesterol, and other substances build up in the walls of arteries and form hard structures called plaques.
Over time, these plaques can block the arteries and cause heart disease, stroke, and other symptoms or problems throughout the body.
Lifestyle changes and medicines can lower cholesterol levels and prevent these problems in most people.
Disorders that are passed down through families often lead to higher cholesterol levels that are harder to control.
If you have high cholesterol or other risk factors for heart disease, make appointments as recommended by your doctor.
American Heart Association. Drug therapy for cholesterol. 2011 Jan 20. Accessed February 21, 2011.
Daniels SR, Greer FR; Committee on Nutrition. Lipid screening and cardiovascular health in childhood. Pediatrics. 2008;122198-208.
Gennest J, Libby P. Lipoprotein disorders and cardiovascular disease. In: Bonow RO, Mann DL, Zipes DP, Libby P, eds. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2011:chap 47.
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
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