Statins, diet program essential coronary heart solutions

Dear Dr. Roach: I’m 64 and skinny, on no medicines and experienced my bloodwork carried out. Cholesterol showed 226 whole, HDL 77, triglycerides 79, LDL 131, glucose 94. My blood tension is normally about 90/60, and I have under no circumstances smoked.

My medical doctor would like me to go on a statin, which I know is not good. I want to test modifying my diet regime. Are these stages so high that they warrant a statin? Ought to his 1st system of motion be to advise changing diet program? Your belief is important. Thank you.

— J.F.

Expensive J.F.: Statin medications are a powerful way to minimize the threat of heart assault and stroke in folks at increased possibility for acquiring them even so, like all medicine, they have the possible for adverse effects. They must be employed only when the advantage of taking them is anticipated to be increased than the pitfalls. Virtually everyone with known heart sickness or record of stroke owing to blockages in the arteries really should just take a statin if they can tolerate it. For persons without the need of a historical past of cardiovascular disorder or cerebrovascular illness, a fantastic tool is a risk calculator.

These are not perfect, but they give a superior starting off place to estimate hazard. Employing the American Coronary heart Affiliation calculator at cvdrisk.com, the most effective guess of you creating heart sickness or stroke in the subsequent 10 yrs is 2.3%. Based mostly on this consequence, a statin would usually not be advisable, although there are situations that boost chance of heart sickness that are not thought of in the calculator. Other clinical circumstances and a patient’s choices have to have to be deemed right before recommending medication therapy.