Diagnosis of hyperlipidemia doubles risk of death! Doctors name three "risk groups": bad cholesterol should not exceed "this number"
Cardiovascular disease is getting younger! Is high cholesterol the culprit?
“Many people think that hyperlipidemia has no obvious symptoms and is nothing to worry about. In fact, cardiovascular disease in Taiwan is gradually getting younger, and cholesterol plays a very important role. Once normal arteries are exposed to high cholesterol for a long time, it will cause the blood vessels to gradually harden, to a certain extent. It will cause cerebrovascular disease, heart disease and peripheral vascular disease!”
Professor Huang Baixun, chairman of the Blood Lipid and Arteriosclerosis Society of Taiwan and Taipei Veterans General Hospital, said that according to Taiwan Health Promotion Administration’s prevalence data of Taiwan’s three highs from 2017 to 2022, young adults aged 20-49 have high The blood lipid problem reaches 11.5%, and 1 in 10 people has high cholesterol. It is even more serious among those aged 40-64, with 32.6% having excessive cholesterol, which means 1 in 3 people has hyperlipidemia. The prevalence rate among those over 65 years old reached 37.9%.
Professor Huang Boxun reminded that the prevalence rate of hyperlipidemia among Taiwanese people over the age of 20 is as high as 25.6%, that is, one in four people has an excessive blood lipid index, which has increased by nearly 14% compared to the 2013-2016 survey. Hyperlipidemia is closely related to cardiovascular disease, one of the top ten causes of death, and should not be ignored.
Confirmed deaths tripled! Six principles for hyperlipidemia control
“Long-term high cholesterol will cause abnormal blood vessel function and gradually produce arteriosclerotic plaques. After 10, 20, or 30 years of accumulation, stroke, myocardial infarction, and peripheral vascular disease will occur in an instant. What’s more, Face the risk of serious complications in the future!”
Professor Huang Boxun said that research shows that every 39 mg/dL increase in “bad cholesterol” LDL-C will increase the risk of ischemic stroke by 25% and the risk of coronary heart disease by 40%. It will also increase the incidence of myocardial infarction and angina pectoris. Every 10 mg/dL increase in LDL-C increases the risk of peripheral arterial disease by 10%, leading to severe tissue hypoxia and even death.
In addition, the new coronavirus has been raging around the world for more than two years. Professor Huang Boxun reminded that the new coronavirus is more likely to occur in groups with three high-risk diseases, chronic diseases, and cardiovascular diseases, and will increase the risk of complications and death. Chronic diseases such as hyperlipidemia will increase the penetrability of the COVID-19 virus, and those with dyslipidemia who are infected with the COVID-19 virus will have a more than double risk of death.
Professor Huang Boxun said that there are six major directions to control hyperlipidemia:
Quit smoking and reduce triglycerides;
Exercise, regular exercise can increase blood lipid metabolism;
Weight control, obesity will increase bad cholesterol;
Regular examination, Receive a vascular blood lipid test every 4-6 years;
Make good use of the chronic disease risk assessment platform to understand your own risk;
Medication control, the most important factor in controlling hyperlipidemia, can further reduce cholesterol concentration and reduce cardiovascular disease risk.
LDL standards for high-risk groups are revised down! Reduce cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complications
“The control of bad cholesterol is becoming more and more important and stricter, especially for high-risk patients. Not only does it need to be controlled below 70, but for the most dangerous groups, we are now revising it down, hoping to control it below 55!”
Professor Li Yiheng, director of the Department of Internal Medicine at National Cheng Kung University Hospital, said that a large amount of scientific evidence has shown that LDL-C will accumulate on the blood vessel walls and cause artery blockage. A large Asian study confirmed that people with acute coronary heart disease or coronary artery disease can significantly reduce the incidence of cardiovascular events if they control LDL-C below 70 mg/dL. Guidelines from the American Heart Association and the European Society of Cardiology recommend that very high-risk patients should be actively treated for LDL-C. Data from various studies show that the control of dyslipidemia is crucial to preventing the recurrence of cardiovascular events or reducing the risk of complications.
In view of this, the four major relevant medical societies in Taiwan - the Lipid and Arteriosclerosis Society of Taiwan, the Heart Society of Taiwan, the Taiwan Stroke Society, and the Taiwan Interventional Cardiovascular Medicine Society jointly announced the latest “Dyslipidemia in Taiwan’s High-Risk Patients” in 2022 “Clinical Treatment Guidelines” updated the treatment goals for high-risk groups and recommended reducing the LDL-C index to 70 mg/dL or lower (less than 55 mg/dL), thereby reducing the risk of serious diseases of the heart, brain, and peripheral blood vessels. Chance.
For high-risk groups, including patients with coronary heart disease, patients with atherosclerotic ischemic stroke, and patients with peripheral arterial disease, it is recommended that the LDL-C index be controlled to less than 70 mg/dL; patients with higher risks, such as those with multiple myocardial infarctions, If you have a medical history, or have a myocardial infarction combined with diabetes, or have had a cardiac catheterization to prove that multiple blood vessels are blocked, or if you have coronary heart disease combined with blockage of peripheral arteries, you should consider lowering the bad cholesterol index to a target of 55mg/dL.
Professor Li Yiheng reminded that high-risk patients should use moderate-to-high-intensity statin-type blood-lipid-lowering drugs as early as possible to reduce the risk of subsequent cardiovascular events, or have a detailed discussion with their doctor. During the epidemic, more attention should be paid to taking medication stably to reduce the potential health risks caused by hyperlipidemia and related cardiovascular complications.
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