My Cholesterol is too high- which statin do I take? Dr Malik explains…

Cholesterol is a risk factor for heart attack and stroke

Multiple trials show the link between high cholestrol and cardiovascular disease. The great news is that it is modifiable- just like smoking, high blood pressue and even diabetes. The non modifiable ones are your age (you can’t get younger), your gender, your race (south asians are at elevated risk) and your family history (you can’t change who your family are!)

Reducing Cholesterol lowers risk

You can lower choleterol by about 10% with diet and exercise. Statins lower it by about 30%. Different statins have variable effects. And adding Ezetimibe seems to help more than doubling the statin dose, perhaps with fewer side effects.

How low should I go?

In my mind, the lower the better- If you have had a heart attack I would like the LDL <1.4 mmol/l.

Posted on 08 August 2021
Author: Dr Iqbal Malik
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