OSU News Research Archive Search an archive of past research stories. Coverage of OSU Research Reports on national news coverage of university research. Reporting on Cancer A reporter's guide to the disease. Science Communications Staff Who we are and what we do.     (Last updated 5/15/01)

NEW CHOLESTEROL GUIDELINES CALL FOR STRICTER HEALTH PRACTICES COLUMBUS, Ohio - Physicians are going to expect better adherence to treatment guidelines from their patients who risk heart disease because of high cholesterol levels, an Ohio State University cardiologist said today. That's because of new guidelines released yesterday by the National Institutes of Health which predict a three-fold increase in the number of people who will need medication to lower cholesterol levels to approved levels. "The new guidelines give a more thorough picture of a person's likelihood of developing heart disease." "There is going to be more of an aggressive attitude toward cholesterol treatment as well as identifying people with high cholesterol," said David Frid, the director of preventive and rehabilitative cardiology at the OSU Center for Wellness and Prevention. "But these guidelines may be hard for people to meet, such as raising HDL levels to their optimum." The new standards raise the recommended level of HDL cholesterol - the good kind - from 35 to 40 mg/dL, and recommend at least 60 mg/dL for protection against heart disease. The guidelines still recommend that LDL cholesterol -- the bad kind -- be no higher than 160 mg/dL. "These recommendations have long been awaited," said Frid, a member of Ohio State's Dorothy M. Davis Heart and Lung Research Institute. The last update came in 1993. "There is now a stronger emphasis on HDL and triglycerides and also how often screening occurs, which should be once every five years." The NIH's National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP), which released the updated guidelines, recommends the following: More aggressive cholesterol-lowering treatment and better identification of those at risk for heart disease or a heart attack. A lipoprotein profile as the first test for high cholesterol (the profile includes LDL and HDL levels, triglycerides and other fatty substances in the blood). Stepping up the use of proper nutrition, weight control and physical activity to treat elevated blood cholesterol. Increased attention to the treatment of fats called triglycerides. The guidelines also include a risk assessment tool that calculates risk separately for men and women, and that also predicts a person's chance of having a heart attack within 10 years. The new guidelines give a more thorough picture of a person's likelihood of developing heart disease, Frid said. "It's going to require more aggressive tactics and behavior by both physicians and patients." In addition to more people taking medication, the NCEP also predicts a rise in the number of people treated for high cholesterol via their diet from about 52 million to about 65 million people. The new guidelines include more at-risk populations, such as diabetics. # Contact: David Frid, 614-293-7777; Frid.1@osu.edu Written by Holly Wagner, 614-292-8310; Wagner.235@osu.edu