|
High Blood Pressure?
Check Your Cholesterol
People who have high blood pressure are very likely to have untreated or poorly controlled cholesterol problems that significantly increase their risk for heart attack and stroke. Nearly 50 million U.S. adults have high blood pressure. According to a recent scientific study at the Mayo Clinic, the majority of them also have high LDL cholesterol that is often not being treated aggressively enough. In a study of 2500 patients with high blood pressure, investigators found that of:
White male hypertensives, 78.4% also had high cholesterol
White female hypertensives, 64.7% also had high cholesterol
Black male hypertensives, 49.5% also had high cholesterol
Black female hypertensives, 56.7% also had high cholesterol
Fewer than one out of three individuals with high cholesterol were taking statins. High blood pressure and high cholesterol are two important risk factors for heart attack and stroke. Having both more than doubles the risk. The point is that patients who have high blood pressure should also have regular cholesterol blood tests and should treat both problems aggressively.
|
