HEALTH AWARENESS

Turning Cholesterol Awareness Into Healthy Action

(NAPSI)-The good news for people with high cholesterol is that there are ways to manage it.

The better news is that the more you know about your cholesterol, the better equipped you are to manage it.

An online survey of 1,002 adults 45 to 65 years of age taking at least one prescription medication to manage their cholesterol found more than three-quarters (81 percent) of respondents thought that exercising three to four times per week should be a part of cholesterol management, but less than half (47 percent) reported they were currently doing it. Additionally, more than three-quarters (80 percent) of respondents thought that maintaining a healthy weight should be part of cholesterol management, while just over one-third (38 percent) reported they were currently maintaining a healthy weight to manage their cholesterol.

According to the American Heart Association, there are over 106 million Americans with unhealthy cholesterol levels. Many patients with cholesterol problems need to improve their bad cholesterol (LDL) and may also need to raise their good cholesterol (HDL) and lower their triglycerides.

"It is important to make sure the three key lipids are all in the healthy range," said Dr. Christie Ballantyne, Methodist DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center.

In the same online survey discussed above, more than three-quarters (78 percent) of respondents reported they understood the information provided by their doctor about cholesterol either extremely well or moderately well. When asked to report their total cholesterol level from the last time it was measured, nearly half (48 percent) were unsure of their level. When asked about their LDL (bad) cholesterol, HDL (good) cholesterol and triglyceride levels, approximately two-thirds (66 percent, 65 percent and 66 percent, respectively) were not sure of their levels.

There's a new FDA-approved medication from Abbott that provides a one-two punch by lowering bad cholesterol and raising good cholesterol.

SIMCOR is the first therapy to combine Niaspan and simvastatin, two proven cholesterol medicines that treat bad cholesterol (LDL) and good cholesterol (HDL). SIMCOR is used when both Niaspan and simvastatin are appropriate.

"Being able to treat multiple lipids with one medication may be convenient for patients and help them improve their cholesterol levels," said Dr. Ballantyne.