In people who already have heart disease, the LDL should be less than 100, to help prevent a heart attack or further blockage. If these guidelines cannot be met with diet and exercise, medication may be necessary. Interestingly, a significant number of the people admitted to the hospital in this study had not had their blood tested for cholesterol. The study's authors say this suggests a missed opportunity for heart-disease prevention. Michael Criqui, MD, tells WebMD that it is important for doctors to look at their patients' HDL, or 'good,' cholesterol as well as the 'bad' LDL type.
Risk factors do count.
The most totally preventable problem of all is cigarette smoking. That's completely unacceptable. But you can modify your risk. Doctors report that they are beginning to see more patients under age 50 suffering heart attacks. Many of these younger patients do not show typical signs of being at risk, such as high blood pressure or seriously elevated cholesterol levels.