New guidelines for managing cholesterol call for more aggressive prevention and earlier treatment, including a recommendation that all adults be tested once for lipoprotein(a), a genetic risk marker for heart disease.The American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology released the updated guidelines Friday, which aim to expand the tools doctors use to assess cardiovascular risk. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States.
New guidelines for managing cholesterol call for more aggressive prevention and earlier treatment, including a recommendation that all adults be tested once for lipoprotein(a), a genetic risk marker for heart disease.
"We know 80% or more of cardiovascular disease is preventable and elevated LDL cholesterol, sometimes referred to as 'bad' cholesterol, is a major part of that risk," wrote Dr. Roger Blumenthal, a cardiologist at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore who chaired the guideline writing committee, in a statement.