Chances are that you're visiting this web site because you or someone you know has heart disease or is at high risk for developing it and you want to find out more about treatment options. Some of the conditions that put you at high risk for heart disease include:
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A combination of risk factors that makes your chances of developing heart disease more than 20 percent in the next 10 years. To find your risk, go to the online 10 year risk calculator. |
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Atherosclerosis in the arteries of your legs |
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Plaque or narrowing in your carotid (neck) arteries that has caused a transient ischemic attack (TIA or "mini stroke") or a stroke |
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Abdominal aortic aneurysm (a bulge in the main artery of the body) |
There are some important things for you to know. The good news is that by lowering your blood cholesterol, you can reduce your risk of having a heart attack or other complications of heart disease.
The four steps you can take to lower your blood cholesterol:
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Follow the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) Diet (low saturated fat, low cholesterol). |
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Be more physically active. |
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Lose weight if you are overweight. |
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Take cholesterol lowering medication if prescribed by your doctor. |
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Select your LDL cholesterol level for an idea of what type of treatment may be prescribed for you (Click on the 'Go' button after you've made your choice.) |
Your doctor will prescribe a personalized treatment plan according to your LDL-cholesterol level, which may include cholesterol lowering medication.
Even if your doctor starts you on a cholesterol-lowering drug, it is still important for you to adopt heart-healthy life habits. These will help to bring a bigger drop in your cholesterol level, and will reduce your risk for future CHD in other ways as well.
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The Lifestyle section will teach you how to lower your blood cholesterol and reduce your chance of heart attack by following a low saturated fat, low cholesterol diet (TLC Diet) and how to be more physically active. |
For many patients it is necessary to combine cholesterol lowering medications with changes in life habits to get enough of a reduction in cholesterol . Your doctor can help to decide which combination of cholesterol-lowering activities is right for you. This section outlines the medications that are available. |
Did you know? check out the Health Tip of the Month for the answer or check out the Cholesterol Quiz to see how much you know about reducing blood cholesterol. You can also Test Your Heart Disease IQ and see how well you do!
Go
to the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) Section