
About Us
Doctors & Hospitals
Fitness, Health & Wellness
Patient Safety
Healthy Discounts
Health Library

Home > Fitness, Health & Wellness > Healthy News > Article

September is National Cholesterol Education Month

National Cholesterol Education Month Kit

Healthy Heart Recipes

About Cholesterol Information Website

CDC's Cholesterol Awareness

The American Heart Association reports that Heart Disease is our nation’s #1 killer. Heart Disease claims a life every 34 seconds and nearly 105 million Americans age 20 and older have high cholesterol. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) found good evidence that lipid (cholesterol) measurements can help to identify people at increased risk of coronary heart disease and that lipid-lowering drug therapy can substantially decrease the incidence of coronary heart disease in people with abnormal lipids. A healthy lifestyle with low-fat meal plans and regular exercise are also ways to prevent heart disease.

Your physician may perform lipid screening to determine whether you would benefit from lipid-lowering drug therapy in order to decrease your risk of heart disease. Care Choices makes the following recommendations in regard to age and risk factors in the Care Choices Preventive Healthcare Guidelines and encourages you to get this testing as appropriate. “Know your numbers –know your risk.”

Procedure	Lipid Screening
Ages 18-39	Every 5 years, beginning at age 20 Males:Ages 20-35 if high risk Beginning at 35 every 5 years Females:Ages 20-45 if high risk
Ages 40-49	Females:Beginning at age 45, every 5 years
Ages 50-64	Every 5 years
Age 65+	Physician will determine if cholesterol screening should be discontinued
High Risk Factors	High blood Pressure (120/80 Hg or greater) Tobacco use Diabetes of any type Physical inactivity or excess weight Family history heart disease at early age (male relatives under age 55, female relatives under age 65 Family history suggestive of high cholesterol or heart disease *Screening interval will vary based on risk level

For additional information and helpful articles about cholesterol, go to the following link:
http://hin.nhlbi.nih.gov/cholmonth/.

Legal Statement | HIPAA | Care Choices