Cholesterol: Overview And History

Cholesterol: Overview And History

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There is a very good reason that high cholesterol is a concern for so many people. Increased levels of cholesterol can present serious risks to an otherwise healthy person. While monitoring cholesterol with proper diet and exercise is important, the first step to conquering cholesterol is having a clear understanding of the facts.

The National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) issued important clinical cholesterol guidelines in May, 2001. This update, the first in ten years, was prepared in the hope of helping adults to manage their own cholesterol levels, and prevent these levels from increasing.

In cooperation with the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, the NCEP used research and study results to develop new cholesterol guidelines. These updated guidelines show significant changes in the following areas:

* More insistent treatments to reduce cholesterol

* The identification of patients posing a high risk of heart disease

* A new stage at which low HDL, or low high-density lipoprotein, can pose a major high risk factor for heart disease

* Improved therapeutic lifestyle changes to increase the ability to improve cholesterol levels

* A greater focus on "metabolic syndrome", a cluster of heart disease risk factors that are related to insulin resistance

* Increased awareness surrounding treatment, with more aggressive treatment of high triglycerides.

Under these new guidelines, the NCEP had anticipated a considerable increase in the number of Americans undergoing treatment for high cholesterol. In fact, these numbers did increase. In cases of patients taking dietary treatments, the numbers rose from 52 million to 65 million. Additionally, an estimated 36 million patients were taking cholesterol-reducing drugs, an increase from the previous number of 13 million.

The 2001 report showed that diabetes poses a great risk of heart disease, and also suggested that people with diabetes should undergo the same intensive treatment as those suffering heart disease. These treatment methods include lifestyle changes and medication.

As a result of the new cholesterol guidelines, there is now a widely used tool that can help to predict a patient's chance of developing heart disease within a ten-year span. The tool can calculate the risk of women and men separately. It is highly recommended by a group called the Adult Treatment Patients (ATP), and is used to assess patients who present two or more risk factors of heart disease.

Other changes presented in the new cholesterol guidelines are as follows:

* Improved high cholesterol treatments for diabetics. Type 2 diabetes poses a higher short-term risk of having a coronary episode, and a higher risk of a heart attack fatality.

* Using a lipoprotein profile as the first step in testing for high cholesterol. This is the measurement of the levels of HDL, LDL, total cholesterol, triglycerides and other fatty substances found in the bloodstream.

* Increased use of nutrition, weight control and physical activity to act as treatments of high blood cholesterol levels.

* The identification of a "metabolic syndrome" of the risk factors relating to insulin resistance.

* Advising patients to stop using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) as a substitute for other cholesterol-reducing medications.

Over a ten-year span, great advances were realized in the areas of high cholesterol treatments. Because of the findings of the 2001 National Cholesterol Education Program, we now have a greater understanding of the effects of high cholesterol, and doctors can take advantage of better treatment options.

About the Author:
Author Eunice Gaelek loves writing for several web magazines, on heart health and senior health topics. This and other unique content 'cholesterol' articles are available with free reprint rights.



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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