Health Library

People with heart disease are at increased risk for suffering
heart attacks
or
sudden cardiac death
. But there is evidence that risk factor modification can help people with
coronary artery disease
(CAD). Taking steps like lowering your blood pressure and cholesterol can improve survival and quality of life if you have heart disease. Here are some therapies to help protect your heart.

Guidelines

The American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology jointly released guidelines on secondary prevention for people with cardiovascular disease. Their recommendations reflect data gleaned from large scale clinical trials that have identified which preventive therapies work best. Check to see which advice you are already using correctly, and which you may want to discuss with your doctor.

Remember that high blood pressure does not have symptoms, so you will not know you have it or if it changes. Consider buying a reliable home monitoring device so you can check your blood pressure on a regular basis.

Cholesterol

Goals

You should have a blood test called a fasting lipid profile. Desirable ranges of lipid levels are:

LDL (bad) cholesterol less than 100 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL).

Non-HDL cholesterol (combination of bad cholesterol) less than 130 mg/dL if triglycerides are greater than 200 mg/dL.

Your doctor will evaluate your lipid levels and help you determine what is desirable for you.

This content is reviewed regularly and is updated when new and relevant evidence is made available. This information is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with questions regarding a medical condition.

Antman EM, Hand M, Armstrong PW, et al. 2007 Focused update of the ACC/AHA 2004 guidelines for the management of patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines. Circulation. 2008;117(2):296-329.

Executive summary of the third report of the National Education Program (NCEP) expert panel on detection, evaluation, and treatment of high blood cholesterol in adults (adult treatment panel III).
JAMA. 2001;285:2486-2497.