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- $Unique_ID{BRK01918}
- $Pretitle{}
- $Title{Cholesterol Lowering Medication}
- $Subject{Cholesterol lower Lowering medicate Medication medications test tests
- testing prescribe prescription prescriptions blood triglyceride triglycerides
- high-density lipoprotein HDL low-density LDL risk risks factor factors
- coronary heart disease diseases cigarette cigarettes smoke smoking diabetic
- diabetics diabetes hypertension obese obesity overweight food recommend
- recommendation recommendations treat treatment treatments diet life-style
- life-styles lifestyle lifestyles change changes exercise exercises profile
- lipid lipids}
- $Volume{}
- $Log{
- Exercise Increases HDL*0002703.scf
- Exercise Lowers Triglycerides and Raises HDL*0003203.scf
- HDL Transports Cholesterol Back to the Liver*0002702.scf
- How Cholesterol Levels Affect the Arteries*0002701.scf
- Risk Factors of Atheosclerosis*0009302.scf}
-
- Copyright (c) 1993 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
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- Cholesterol Lowering Medication
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- QUESTION: My husband recently had a cholesterol test in our local shopping
- mall. It came back as being over 230, and I am just a bit worried. My
- husband constantly resists any suggestion to visit the doctor. Don't you
- think he need some kind of medication to reduce his level of cholesterol?
- Perhaps you could suggest the right medicine for this problem?
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- ANSWER: Your husband is still a long way from needing a prescription
- medication for his cholesterol. To begin with, the tests conducted in a
- shopping mall are merely screening tests, and usually only include a finger
- stick, obtaining a drop of blood, and then testing for just cholesterol. When
- the results reveal an elevation, a more accurate determination should be
- sought for confirmation, and additional tests for triglycerides and both
- high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein
- cholesterol (LDL) are often included to obtain a clearer picture of the
- situation, when there are other risk factors for coronary heart disease
- present. These include being a male, positive family history of premature
- heart disease, cigarette smoking, diabetes, hypertension, and severe obesity.
- Test should be performed after 12 hours without eating, in order to reduce the
- possibilities for variation caused by food. Blood levels below 200 are
- considered normal, while 200 to 239 are in the borderline high category.
- Levels over 240 are considered high. In the case of your husband, and if he
- is presently healthy, the recommendations for treatment include only a change
- in diet, some life-style changes such as regular exercise, and a recheck of
- the blood test in a year. Medications are usually reserved for cases where
- these recommendations, when fully carried out, do not result in reducing blood
- cholesterol levels, and when the levels are over 240. The use of medication
- depends upon the individual situation, and the choice of the proper medication
- will be influenced by the findings of the complete lipid profile blood tests.
- Certainly your husband may not be at high risk now, but if he was interested
- enough to take the screening test, he may be willing to follow through to its
- logical conclusion when he realizes that the cholesterol level from the
- screening test may not be showing the entire picture.
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- The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
- the counsel and advice of your personal physician. Promptly consulting your
- doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
- problem.
-