Simultaneous control of BP and Cholesterol reduces risk of heart disease:

Jojy Cheriyan MD;MPH-July 05,2013

Simultaneously controlling your blood pressure (BP) and cholesterol is more beneficial than controlling either one at a time. According to a new research published (July 1,2013) in the American Heart Association journal Circulation, simultaneous controlling can cut your risk of heart disease by half or more. The study also found that only less than one in 3 people achieve this goal.

A previous research study reported that treating high blood pressure reduces the risk of heart disease by 25 percent and treating high cholesterol in hypertensive patients can lower the risk by more than 35 percent. This study looked at how significant the benefits are, when both blood pressure and cholesterol are treated simultaneously.

The findings of this new study are based on the data of more than 17,000 American adults who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHNES) during time periods-1988-94, 1999-2004 and 2005-10. In addition to reviewing patients’ blood pressure and cholesterol levels, researchers also considered race, age, insurance status, whether patients smoked, had diabetes, had diagnosed heart disease and/or chronic kidney disease, and if they visited a doctor every year.

Researchers also found that prescribing medications to better manage blood pressure and cholesterol would greatly benefit people who are older, diabetic, have cardiovascular disease or are Hispanic or African-American. Visit to your primary care doctor at least twice a year could help in keeping control.

This study comes out at the same time when Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) reports unnecessary cholesterol testing among patients in a VA hospital based sample of heart disease patients. Action for new guidelines for cholesterol testing is underway and will be released soon by the American Heart Association.

According to the CDC report published in February 2011,high blood pressure affects about 68 million of the U.S. adult population, and doubles the risk for heart disease. About 71million Americans have dangerously high total blood cholesterol levels of 240 mg/dL or higher and also high LDL (bad cholesterol).

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