DEAR DR. ROACH: Can you please provide details on which cholesterol numbers to pay attention to? Half of my numbers are in the “good” range, and the other half are in the “bad” range.
My total cholesterol is 248 mg/dL, triglycerides is 77, cholesterol/HDL ratio is 2.8, HDL is 88, LDL is 142, and non-HDL is 160. My total cholesterol has been over 200 for the past six years, but so far, my doctor has not prescribed any medication, since my ratio and good cholesterol numbers have been in the good range.
Though, my numbers have been steadily climbing (last year, my total cholesterol was 239, and my ratio was 2.4), and I am starting to get concerned.
I am a 60-year-old female in excellent health.
The only medication I currently take is for hypothyroidism. I exercise daily (cycling, yoga, walking, weight-training).
I eat decently, but of course, that can always be improved. My weight is in the normal range. — B.H.
ANSWER: If there is one number to look at when deciding whether to take cholesterol medicine, it’s your 10-year risk number. You can estimate this at tinyurl.com/ACC-risk-tool.
This tool requires your cholesterol and blood pressure numbers and, together with your age and sex, can estimate your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.
The very same cholesterol numbers have a very different interpretation in a 60-year-old woman compared to a 65-year-old man, for example.
The calculator does not consider some very important information, such as your diet and exercise patterns, but it gives a very good starting place to consider treatment.
Most authorities recommend medication treatment at a 10-year risk of 7.5%, but some people would want to begin treatment at a lower risk percentage, while some would prefer waiting until their risk is higher.
