FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM OCTOBER 5, 2017 • HEALTH • THE QUEENS COURIER 55
health
Test your cholesterol knowledge:
Help protect your heart health
More than 100 million U.S. adults have
high cholesterol, a major risk factor for
developing heart disease, which is the
leading cause of death in the U.S., according
to the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC). Two out of three
don’t have the condition under control
and more than half don’t get treatment,
the CDC reports. What’s more,
three in 10 patients who experience side
eff ects from their cholesterol medication
discontinue treatment, according to a
study published in the Annals of Internal
Medicine.
Why are so many people with high cholesterol
taking risks by not treating their
condition?
“I fi nd that many patients don’t fully
understand the serious consequences of
high cholesterol, and it’s not a condition
that causes symptoms they can feel,” says
Dr. Shawn Dhillon, founder and medical
director of the Calvert Medical Group in
Baltimore and a leading authority on cholesterol.
“Unfortunately, this can oft en
lead them to not seek treatment or stop
taking their medicine that helps keep
their cholesterol levels under control.”
Untreated high cholesterol can increase
your risk of developing heart disease and
having a heart attack. To lower cholesterol,
doctors oft en prescribe statins, a treatment
category that includes more than
seven diff erent types currently available.
Despite the proven impact of statins on
lowering cholesterol, at least 50 percent
of people stop taking their prescribed statin
within one year of starting it, according
to a 2012 survey which was the largest
known cholesterol survey conducted
in the U.S.
“When patients are fi rst diagnosed with
high cholesterol, I help them understand
what the diagnosis means for their lifestyle
and why they need to take their statin
daily,” says Dhillon, who personally
has high cholesterol and takes the statin
LIVALO® (pitavastatin) daily to treat his
condition. “It’s also crucial to have a conversation
with my patients about questions
or concerns about their statin. By
identifying any issues, I can either change
the amount of the medicine or try a different
statin that might be more appropriate
for them instead so they don’t give
up on their medicine.”
Want to learn more about high cholesterol
and treatment options? Take this
quiz to get the skinny on cholesterol risks
and treatments:
1. All cholesterol is bad. True or false?
Answer: False! Your body actually
needs some cholesterol - a waxy, fat-like
substance that occurs in two “forms.”
Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol
(LDL-C) makes up most of the body’s
cholesterol, and is the “bad” cholesterol.
Having high levels of LDL-C can lead to
plaque buildup in your arteries and result
in heart disease and stroke. Statins work
by blocking the important enzyme that
your liver needs to produce the bad cholesterol
in your body. High-density lipoprotein
cholesterol (HDL-C) is “good”
cholesterol, with doctors recommending
having levels of 60 or higher.
2. High cholesterol is caused by: A.
Diet; B. Lifestyle; C. Heredity; or D. All
of the above.
Answer: D. All of the above! While diet
and lifestyle are leading causes of high
cholesterol, some people may be predisposed
to having high cholesterol due to
family history.
3. I can control my high cholesterol by:
A. Eating fewer fatty foods and carbohydrates;
B. Exercising more; C. Taking
medication; D. All of the above.
Answer: D. All of the above! Many people
will need to take medication like a statin
to help control their high cholesterol,
on top of practicing healthy food habits
and exercising.
4. Cholesterol-lowering medications,
called statins, are all the same. True or
false?
Answer: False! Statins are the most
common type of cholesterol-lowering
medication, but they are not all the same.
In fact, there are seven diff erent statins
currently available. Many statins have a
risk of interacting with other drugs or
substances due to how they’re processed
in the body. Perhaps the most commonly
known interaction is the confl ict between
some statins and grapefruit, but medications
such as those for high blood pressure
and the prevention of blood clots,
even many over-the-counter medications
and supplements, also have the potential
to cause issues when taken with certain
statins. However, LIVALO, along with
a heart-healthy diet and regular exercise,
can improve overall cholesterol levels
while having a lower risk of certain
unpredictable drug interactions based
upon how it’s processed in the body.
Finding the right statin to treat your
high cholesterol is vital, Dr. Dhillon says.
“Statins are fi rst-line medications for
treating high cholesterol, and their safety
and eff ectiveness are supported by
years of research, clinical trials and years
of good patient outcomes,” he says.
“However, common side eff ects, such as
muscle aches and overall fatigue, may
deter people from taking their medication.
Th at’s why it is essential that people
have an open dialogue with their doctor
to ensure they fi nd a statin that works for
them, as an individual.”
Dr. Dhillon says LIVALO is his top
choice to help his patients manage their
cholesterol because the medication differs
from other statins in some important
ways, including:
• Th e body breaks down LIVALO diff erently
than most other statins, so it can
be less likely to interact with other medicines
(including commonly prescribed
medications for high blood pressure
and the prevention of blood clots), vitamins
and supplements.
• Because LIVALO is metabolized
through a diff erent pathway in the body,
patients are also able to eat grapefruit or
drink grapefruit juice. Certain statins,
other than LIVALO, may interact with
grapefruit and grapefruit juice resulting
in too much drug in the blood stream,
increasing the risk of adverse events.
• Th e FDA has recently cautioned the
public on the potential adverse eff ect of
statins on glucose levels as a side eff ect
of statin therapy. Importantly, LIVALO
has been studied in patients with Type
2 Diabetes, many of which are on multiple
medications and demonstrated a
non-signifi cant change in blood glucose
levels.
“Unmanaged high cholesterol can lead
to serious health consequences, including
heart disease,” Dhillon says. “Th e good
news is, making healthy lifestyle choices
including diet and exercise, and fi nding
the right statin for you, are eff ective ways
to manage your high cholesterol.”
Visit livalorx.com/info to learn more.
September is National Cholesterol
Education Month.
Courtesy BPT