High Cholesterol and the Risk of Heart Disease
High cholesterol is a leading risk factor for heart disease.
Heart disease is the #1 health problem for both women and men in the
United States. And if you have high cholesterol, you may have twice the
risk of heart disease.* But, you may not know you have high
cholesterol.
People who have high cholesterol often have no symptoms.
High cholesterol occurs when you have too much LDL in your blood. LDL
is low-density lipoprotein, or "bad" cholesterol. The higher your LDL,
the more chance you have of getting heart disease.
Cholesterol can build up along the walls of your arteries. When too
much builds up, it can block the flow of blood. Arteries that supply
blood to your heart or to your brain can become blocked. This can cause
a heart attack or stroke. That's why managing high cholesterol is
important to heart health. Knowing your risk factors is an important
first step toward lowering your risk for heart disease.
LIPITOR is FDA approved to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke,
certain kinds of heart surgeries, and chest pain in patients with
several common risk factors for heart disease, including family
history, high blood pressure, age, low HDL ("good" cholesterol), or
smoking.
